The Pharaoh and The Pauper
by tai'sgirl23
Summary: YugixTéa. After a peasant Yugi and the pharaohtobe Atemu meet by chance and switch lives, things start to go wrong. Will Yugi be able to find Atemu so that he can be rightfully crowned Pharaoh? Or will Seto’s evil plan work?
1. A Peasant Named Yugi

OK, I don't now how I thought of this, but I was just watching TV one day, when I thought 'Hey! I know what would make a good Yu-Gi-Oh! story!' And then before I knew it, I came up with this plot. In case you didn't know, this story is based on an old story called 'The Prince and the Pauper'. You may have heard of it, since Disney (don't own!) did something like it with Mickey Mouse (don't own!). I know this story has already been done (and if you're the author of that version, I promise you I am NOT copying you!) but I thought I'd give it a go!

Anyway, I thought that since Yami and Yugi are so alike, why not do a story based on the Prince and the Pauper, but set it in ancient Egypt, thus giving you 'The pharaoh and the Pauper'! You have to admit it's a pretty good idea.

Anyway, this is my 2nd Yu-Gi-Oh! story, but it's the first one where I use the dumb names. And because I'm in such a good mood, I thought I'd post the first two chapters on the same day. I hope you like it!

Main characters:

Yugi- a peasant (16)

Yami- Pharaoh-to-be (i.e.Prince) Atemu (16)

Joey- a peasant and friend of Yugi's (16)

Tristan- a peasant and friend of Yugi's (16)

Téa- servant in palace and friend on Atemu's (16)

Seto- Priest (20)

Solomon- peasant and Yugi's grandfather

Ishizu- Priestess and friend of Atemu's

**Warning: **Sorry to all Seto fans but he is older in this story and I've made him the villain. I'm really sorry but he just seemed to fit in with the part! Also, there are hint's of **Yugi x Téa** in later chapters.

_'thoughts'_

"speaking"

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! and I do not own the Prince and the Pauper

-I-

The Pharaoh and the Pauper

Chapter 1: A Peasant called Yugi

-I-

"You heard him! Take him inside the palace!"

_The guards grab both my arms so I can't escape. It doesn't make much difference though. I'm too exhausted from today's work to even think about escaping. As they take me into the Pharaoh's palace, I think to myself, why me? What have I done? Everything was so normal this morning, what did I do to the Gods to upset them? Why didn't they let me have my normal life, like yesterday? Yesterday was just a normal day, but today, everything changed…_

-I-

Yesterday…

He opened his eyes, letting the light awake him; some of his blonde bangs falling in front of his eyes. Yugi stretched and climbed out of his rickety bed, and walked over to where his grandfather lay, asleep. He placed his hand on top of his forehead, checking his temperature.

'He's hotter than yesterday, that must mean he's getting worse. I'd better go get some water.'

Yugi grabbed a pot from by the doorway, and made his way to the well. As he walked through the dusty streets of his home in Egypt, he thought about the days work ahead. Once again, he would be building more monuments for the Pharaoh and the priests. It wasn't easy, being a peasant in Egypt at the time of the great Pharaoh's, especially now that the Pharaoh Akunumkanon was ill. Since the great Pharaoh had been suddenly taken ill, the High Priest Seto Kaiba, instead of the Prince, had given out orders but Yugi knew that one day, things would get better.

As Yugi collected the water from the well, and filled up his clay pot, he looked around the small square. He could see all the other peasants waking up and preparing themselves for the day's work, just like himself.

Once Yugi had filled his pot with water, he made his way back to his small house/hut. As he walked through the door and made his way to the sleeping area, he grabbed a piece of old cloth and dunked it into the water.

As Yugi entered the bedroom, he saw that his grandfather was still asleep, breathing heavily. He pulled a stool over beside his bed and sat down. He then took the cloth out of the pot of water, squeezed out the excess water, and placed the cloth on his grandfather's head. Yugi sighed as he watched his grandfather sleep.

"I'll be home as soon as I can today grandpa," he said quietly.

Before he left, Yugi prepared some food for his grandfather and for himself. It wasn't much, just some fruit and some bread, but it was better than starving. He left the food by his grandfather's bed and left to go to work, along with the other peasants.

As Yugi made his way to the 'building site', he met up with his two best friends, Joey and Tristan. The two teens smiled at Yugi as they ran to catch up with him.

"Good morning guys!" he greeted when they finally caught up

"Mornin' Yugi!" Joey greeted back. "Did ya get a good sleep last night?"

"Yeah. I was so exhausted yesterday, I feel asleep as soon as grandpa did!"

"How is your grandpa anyway?" Tristan asked. "Is he getting any better?"

"Unfortunately no. I checked on his this morning, and he's getting worse. I try and help him as best I can, but I don't know what to do."

"Don't worry Yug'," Joey comforted, placing his hand on Yugi's shoulder. "You doing the best you can. I'm sure the Gods will see how hard you're working to help your grandpa and give you some sort of miracle."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks guys."

The three teens soon arrived at the 'building site' and got straight to work, making sure that they worked hard so not to get punished by the guards. Today, they were on brick duty, meaning that it was up to them to make the small bricks from mud and straw, that were used for buildings in the richer part of the city, such as the palace.

The sun shone down on the backs of the peasants as they worked that day. It was hard work, working in the desert, but fortunately, they were allowed short breaks to rest in the shade and to drink water to keep themselves hydrated.

Our three favourite teens worked hard, collecting the mixture for the bricks and putting them into the moulds, letting them dry out in the sun. As Yugi worked, his thoughts were on his grandfather. He was worrying about him more than ever. He quietly prayed to the Gods that they would help his grandfather recover.

At sunset, the peasants were allowed home. They were pleased that the day's work was done, but they knew that they had to do it all again tomorrow. Before Yugi left, he looked up at the palace. The sight of it as the sun set behind it was enough to take your breath away, but not Yugi. As he looked at the magnificent building in the distance, he wondered what it would be like to live there, never worrying about starving, never worrying about being punished by a whip if you made a mistake, never worrying about becoming dangerously ill, since they had highly skilled doctors and medicine people in the palace.

Yugi sighed. He had to get home to his grandfather. He said goodbye to Joey and Tristan, and quickly made his way home.

-I-

"Grandpa! What are you doing!"

Yugi had arrived home very quickly, only to find that his grandfather was standing up, trying to walk. Unfortunately, he was too weak, and had gotten as far and the doorway of their bedroom, before finding that he couldn't go any further.

Yugi rushed over to him and placed an arm around him. Solomon leaned on his grandson and let him help him back into bed.

"I just wanted…to get…some water…" Solomon told his grandson weakly. He didn't have as much energy as he had hoped, and was finding it hard to talk.

"I'll get some water for you grandpa." Yugi helped his grandfather into bed. "I'll get us some food too."

In no time at all, Yugi walked back into the room with a large pot full of drinking water with two clay cups, and a small plate of food. The plate contained more fruit and bread, along with a few other things. Being a peasant, you couldn't afford much food, but Yugi and grandfather managed to survive on what they had.

Yugi poured some water into the two cups, then helped his grandfather sit up, before handing him the water. Then, the two Moto's ate their evening meal together, happy to be in each other's company. Once they were finished, Yugi helped his grandfather lay down in bed. Solomon soon fell asleep. Once Yugi was sure that he was, he took the plate and cups, and made his way to where the River Nile ran near his home. It wasn't a long journey, since the river ran near the well.

Once Yugi arrived, he saw that no one else was around. Strange, the river is usually busy after the sun had set with people bathing themselves after a hard days work. Yugi pushed the thought to the back of his head, and quickly washed the cups and plate in the cold, clean water. Once he was done, he decided that he would clean himself in the rivers water. After all, he was sweaty and dirty from the days work.

Yugi slipped off his tunic, and climbed into the water, letting the water flow over his body. He stayed there for only a few minutes, watching the stars above him, before realising that he had to get back. He climbed out the water, putting his tunic back on, then collected the cups and plate before making his way back to his home.

When he arrived, he put the cups and plate away, then, yawning, decided to turn in for the night. He walked into the room he and his grandfather slept in, crawled into his rickety bed and fell asleep, but not before he prayed to the Gods to help his grandfather.

The end to another normal day.

-I-

The next day, Yugi was awakened by the sun, as usual. He rose, stretching, and went through his normal routine: checking on his grandfather, collecting water from the well, preparing food for himself and his grandfather, before leaving for work.

As usual, whilst he was on his way to work, he met up with Tristan and Joey.

"Hey Yugi," Joey said after their usual greetings, "did you hear what happened?"

"No, what?" Yugi replied, curious.

"Well, apparently there was a shadow game near the palace last night, and the monsters that were summoned did some major damage to one of the buildings."

'That explains why there wasn't anyone at the river last night. They must've gone to watch the fight.'

"And that's now all," Tristan spoke, interrupting Joey. "Now, the guards are getting some of us to go and fix the building."

"Near the palace?" Yugi asked

"Yup"

"But we can't! That's not our area. Besides, if you work there, you're whipped for the tiniest mistake. We can't go there!"

"We know," said Joey as they entered the 'building site'. "Lets just hope that none of us do."

"Hey! You with the weird, spiky hair!" a voice called out.

Yugi, Joey and Tristan turned around to see and guard walking towards them. Yugi swallowed, hard.

"Me, sir?" he asked

"Yes you!" The guard answered angrily. Peasants could be so dumb. He grabbed Yugi's cloths and pulled him over to where he had gathered some of the peasants. "You're going to help rebuild something just outside the palace with these other peasants. No move!"

The guard pushed Yugi towards the other peasants. Yugi stumbled, but soon regained his footing. He then turned and followed the other peasants to the palace. He knew that today was going to be different.

"Yugi!" Joey called and he began to walk away.

Yugi turned around and smiled at his friends.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine!" He then turned around again and started to walk towards the palace, leaving his friends behind.

-I-

"You lowly peasant! Why aren't you working faster like I ordered! You need to be punished. Hit him!"

Yugi cringed as the whip collided with his back. He had done nothing wrong, but the guards insisted that he had. Things were going so well until now. When he had arrived, he had seen the damage from the shadow game, and got quickly to work. He worked hard and never made a mistake. He was tired and dehydrated, but he didn't let that stop him. But as the sun travelled across the sky, turning morning into after noon, he found himself becoming more and more exhausted.

In the middle of the afternoon, the High Priest Seto had come out to inspect the work, and he was not happy. He said that the peasants were too slow and they had to work faster. Yugi tried to do as the Priest said, but he was too tired. He hadn't had anything to eat or drink since the morning, and the sun was burning down on him, hotter than ever. When the Priest saw that he wasn't working hard enough, he had called over to one of the guards and had ordered him to be punished.

Yugi cried out as the whip hit him again. He felt tears beginning to form in his eyes. Why him? What had he done to upset the Gods?

"Stop!" the Priest ordered, as the guard was about to hit him again. He looked down at Yugi. _'Strange. How can this peasant look so much like the Prince? It's impossible. Then again, I can take out my anger that was aimed at that idiotic Prince, on this worthless peasant.'_

"Now, will you do as you're told and work faster?" Seto asked Yugi, as he saw that he was struggling to get up.

"I'll…I'll try…sir…" Yugi said weakly as he finally stood up.

"You'll try?" Seto said, outraged. "You won't try, you will! It seems I'll have to teach you a lesson myself!"

Seto took out the Millennium Rod and held it above his head. Yugi looked up at it, scared. Priest Seto was the bearer of one the seven Millennium items, the most powerful items ever to have existed. He was in for it now. The eye on the front of the rod was glowing brighter and brighter. Yugi felt himself being pulled into another world…the shadow world…

"STOP!"

Yugi collapsed onto his hands and knees on the floor, panting. _'That was a close one. I was almost trapped in the shadow world for good. But, who was that who saved me?'_

Seto growled and looked up at the saw of the voice. He cursed when he was who it was. There were a good distance away, standing on a small balcony in the palace, but Seto could tell who it was from their voice, and their hair.

"What is going on here?" The voice demanded. Seto straightened up slightly, and put the Millennium rod behind his back.

"I was just teaching this peasant a lesson," Seto called back.

"By sending him to the shadow realm?" The deep voice called back. Yugi noticed that the voice sounded a bit like his, only slightly deeper. Who was this person? "Priest Seto I will not let you treat an innocent person like this! Send him up to my chamber!"

"What!" Seto was both outraged and shocked at once. Peasants were not allowed into the palace unless they had come to ask the Pharaoh for guidance. Why did they want a peasant in their chamber? It was unheard of.

"You heard me," the voice called again. "Send the peasant to my chamber at once!"

Seto growled again, then called over to the two nearest guards.

"You heard him! Take him inside the palace!"

The two guards grabbed Yugi's arms, making sure that he couldn't escape. It didn't matter, Yugi was too tired to walk, yet alone escape. As the guards took him inside the palace, he couldn't help but think why him?…

And what was going to happen to him next?

-I-

To be continued

-I-

OK, I know that chapter wasn't very exciting, and the next one may not be either, but please R&R. I promise that it will get better in later chapters! Right, now on to chapter 2!


	2. A Prince Named Atemu

Well, here's the next chapter just like I promised. Hope you like it!

**Warning: **Sorry to all Seto fans but he is older (though I don't really see that as a bad thing…) in this story and I've made him the villain. I'm really sorry about that! I have nothing against him, but he just seemed to fit in with the part! Also, there are hint's of **Yugi x Téa** in later chapters.

Note: This chapter takes place on the same day when Yugi is taken to work on the building outside the palace.

_'thoughts'_

"speaking"

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! and I do not own the Prince and the Pauper

-I-

The Pharaoh and the Pauper

Chapter 2: A Prince named Atemu

-I-

He watched from the doorway of his balcony as the sun rose above the city, showing him the different parts of the kingdom. As the sun shone its early morning rays, he saw clearly the buildings surrounding the palace, as white and clean, not one different from the other. These were where the 'richer' part of the population lived, never worrying about starving, never working hard like the other part of the people of Egypt.

The Prince looked out at the suburbs of the city, at the rickety huts made of mud. That was where the other part of the population lived, the peasants and the slaves, the ones that had to work to survive.

"Slaves, such a harsh word," the prince spoke to himself, blowing some of his blonde bangs away from his eyes. "Why can't everybody be treated the same?"

His gaze turned towards a small pile of rubble just outside the palace. There had been a shadow game last night, and the monsters summoned had completely destroyed one of the buildings that belonged to the Priests and Priestesses. No doubt they'll be dragging some more slaves and peasants over to fix that problem. The Prince sighed at the thought.

"Those poor people. I wish there was someway I could help."

_Knock Knock!_

Atemu turned at the sound of a knock at his door.

"You may enter."

The door opened, and a young servant girl walked in. She had short brown hair and deep blue eyes, and she was carrying a tray of food. Atemu smiled at his friend.

"Good morning, Téa," he greeted his childhood friend as she placed the tray down on his bed.

Usually, Atemu would've eaten with his father, but since the Pharaoh had been taken ill, he had been told to eat all his meals in his chamber.

"Good morning Atemu," Téa greeted warmly. "Sleep well?"

Téa was one of Atemu's oldest and closest friends. She may only be a servant in the palace, but that did not stop them from becoming close friends as children.

"Not really." Atemu sat down and started to eat. "I've been troubled by a horrible dream lately."

"A dream? What kinda dream?"

"Well, let's just say I don't think I'll make a very good Pharaoh."

"Oh come on Atemu! You'll make a great Pharaoh. You have the biggest heart I know, and you have the Millennium puzzle."

The Prince looked down at the mystical item around his neck. It was true, he did posses the Millennium puzzle, one of seven magical Millennium items, but how would that help him become a great Pharaoh?

"Atemu, you'd better hurry up," Téa spoke up after a few moments of silence. "You know how much High Priest Seto hates you being late."

Atemu groaned. Today, he would be spending most of the day with High Priest Seto. Since his father was ill, and may other Priests and Priestesses were busy with other things, Priest Seto had become Atemu's teacher, teaching him the history of Egypt, the Gods, the Pharaoh's, and how to write. Atemu knew that Priest Seto hated him, and he hated him the same. It was no secret that Seto wanted the thrown, and unfortunately for him, Atemu was in the way.

"Let's get this over with."

-I-

Atemu entered a small room, situated behind the thrown room and the main hall, and saw that the High Priest Seto was there, waiting for him, and by the looks of it, he was annoyed. Atemu smiled to himself.

"You're late," Seto said as soon as he saw the Prince of Egypt.

"A Prince is never late, you were just early."

Seto growled to himself. He really hated the Prince, and his cheekiness. But no matter what, he had to be 'kind' to the Prince. After all, they were the orders from the Pharaoh himself.

"Yes, you're so right your highness," Seto said sarcastically. "I must've been early. Please forgive my mistake."

Atemu frowned at the Priest. _'Why in the name if Ra did I have to be stuck with _him _as a teacher?'_

"Anyway," Seto continued in his normal voice, "there has been a change of plan. Instead of having your normal lessons today, I've decided that you should see how to deal with your subjects. After all, when you become the Pharaoh, they will come to you with their problems. And as you'll be almost as powerful as the Gods of Egypt, it will be up to you to help them."

Atemu didn't show it, but he was relived to hear this. This meant that he wouldn't be studying some old boring text about a certain pharaoh all day. It was a nice break from the normal routine.

"Now, today it is my turn to see to the public. Whilst I am in the thrown room, dealing with those worthless people-"

"They are not worthless people!"

"_You,_" Seto carried on, ignoring the Prince's comment, "will stay hidden behind the silk clothes that are hung behind the thrown. You will not be seen, and you will not be heard. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal."

-I-

For the whole of the morning, and the first half of the afternoon, Atemu stood behind the silk cloth, listening to Seto as he gave 'advice' to the good people of Egypt. More than once, Atemu wanted to come out of his hiding place, and help the people himself, for High Priest Seto was not doing a very good job. Most of his answers were the same; "just pray to the Gods". He wasn't helping them at all. Atemu wanted to help them. He knew that his father had told him to do as the Priest said, but he had to do something to help them. So, that's why he did it. He had suddenly come out of his hiding place, and had starting yelling at the Priest, in front of the people of Egypt, that he was doing nothing to help them, and that the Gods wouldn't have want his people to be treated this way. Then, after his little speech, he had stormed off before he did something that he would really regret.

Later that afternoon, Atemu stood on his balcony, leaning on the wall at the edge, staring down at the city that was to become his one-day. He looked down at where the rubble had been this morning, and saw that there were several people now working very quickly in rebuilding the building that once stood there. And as Atemu looked closer, he saw Priest Seto walk over to the workers, and talk to one of the guards.

"Enjoying the view?"

Atemu looked up at the source of the voice. Standing him was another one of his closest friends, Ishizu. She was a Priestess in the palace, and the owner of the Millennium necklace.

"You could say that."

"I heard what happened with the High Priest," Ishizu said, standing next to the Prince. "You really must learn to control your anger, if you want to become a great Pharaoh, like your father."

"What's the point? I'm never going to be like father."

"Yes you will, young Prince. I know you will."

"How can you know! My life is a mess at the moment. My mother is dead, and my father is dying. Soon, I will become the Pharaoh; soon, I will become the morning and the evening star. But I don't want that kind of responsibility just yet. I'm only 16 years of age, I cannot become pharaoh at such a young age! So how can I be a good Pharaoh when I am too young! Not to mention the fact that my life is the same day in and day out."

"But many pharaoh's in the past have started their reign at that same age, some even younger, and they have become some of the best rulers Egypt has ever seen. I am sure that _you_ will join them."

"But how can you be so sure?"

Ishizu placed a comforting hand on the Princes shoulder.

"Just trust me."

Ishizu turned and walked away, leaving Atemu on his own with only his thoughts. He sighed to himself. How could Ishizu be so sure that he'd make a good pharaoh, when he wasn't sure of himself? And he wished that something interesting would happen. He hated doing the same thing every single day. It got really boring after a while, even for the Prince of Egypt.

"You lowly peasant! Why aren't you working faster like I ordered! You need to be punished. Hit him!"

Atemu looked up slightly. That sounded like the High Priest. He looked down at where the peasants were, and saw that one of the guards was whipping on of them, with Seto watching. From what Atemu could tell from this distance, the peasant looked no older than him, and he had very familiar hair. Atemu's anger began to build as he saw the Priest was talking to the now weak peasant.

"You'll try?" Atemu heard Seto shout, outraged. "You won't try, you will! It seems I'll have to teach you a lesson myself!"

Atemu gasped as he saw the Priest take out his Millennium rod, the eye on the front beginning to glow. He was going to send that poor boy to the shadow realm, for no reason at all! No one deserved to be treated like that! The peasant boy was lifted off his feet by the force of the Millennium item. He had to stop this.

"STOP!" Atemu shouted. He saw the Priest stop, and saw the peasant falling to his knees. "What is going on here?"

Atemu saw Seto straightened up slightly, and put the Millennium rod behind his back.

"I was just teaching this peasant a lesson," Seto called back.

"By sending him to the shadow realm? Priest Seto I will not let you treat an innocent person like this! Send him up to my chamber!"

"What!" Seto yelled back, outraged.

"You heard me! Send the peasant to my chamber at once!"

Atemu turned around and walked back into his chamber, his anger still at a high. How dare Seto do that to an innocent peasant? What had he done wrong? He opened the doors and went to find some guards so that they could send for the doctor. But as he walked down the corridors, a thought appeared in his mind…

Was it just him, or did this peasant boy look a lot like himself?

-I-

To be continued

-I-

Please R&R! The chapters do get better, I promise. I'll update as soon as I have time.


	3. You're Me!

Hey guys! Miss me?

Well, here's the next chapter, just like I promised. Sorry I couldn't update sooner but school's been really hard on me!

Thanks to the people that reviewed, including:

kristen89 

**sugarpony**

**Meant2Live**

**Summoner of Spirits13619**

Well, you can probably guess what happens in this chapter by the name, so I hope it's up to your expectations!

**Warning: **Sorry to all Seto fans but he is older (though I don't really see that as a bad thing…) in this story and I've made him the villain. I'm really sorry about that! I have nothing against him, but he just seemed to fit in with the part! Also, there are hint's of **Yugi x Téa** in later chapters.

_'thoughts'_

"speaking"

**Also**, you need to know a little history before reading any further (though some of you may already know this so just ignore it!). In Ancient Egypt, the men wore tunics, which are basically like skirts. In other words, they wore nothing over their chest, so in this story, Yugi, Atemu, Joey, Seto, Tristan and all the other boys are _topless_! cue drooling Just thought you should know! But this information is important, especially in later chapters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! and I do not own the Prince and the Pauper

-I-

The Pharaoh and the Pauper

Chapter 3: You're me!

-I-

Atemu walked out of yet another empty room and continued down the corridor. It had only been a few minutes since he had ordered the guards to bring the peasant up, but somehow, it seemed longer.

Atemu came across another room, and looked inside. Empty. He should've known. He took one last glance into the room just to make sure he didn't miss anything, or anyone, before continuing down the corridor, all the while having a nagging feeling that he'd forgotten something.

_'Ironic that whenever you don't need someone they're always there, yet when you _do _need them, you can never find them. Where is that doctor anyway? And why is this palace so big?'_

"Atemu! Hey! Wait up!"

Atemu turned at the sound of his name. There, running towards him, was Téa, and by the looks of it, she was angry.

Uh-oh

Téa stopped in front of the Prince, her hands on her knees, and tried to catch her breath back. Luckily for her, due to running around the palace all day, she soon did.

"Atemu, Ishizu and I have been looking for you everywhere! Do you have any idea what time it is?" Téa asked, sounding more like a mother than a friend.

"Err…no…should I?" Atemu answered, unsurely.

"What do you mean 'should I'?!" Téa grabbed Atemu's wrist and began to drag him down the hall. "It's time for the daily ritual to the Gods."

"Ritual?" Atemu tried to release his arm from Téa's grip, for he had to find the doctor for the peasant boy. Unfortunately, thanks to working in the palace all her life, Téa was surprisingly strong for a girl.

"You know!" Téa was begging to become annoyed with Atemu. He may be the Prince of Egypt, but sometimes he could be really clueless. "The ritual for the well being of the people of Egypt. You know you have to do it instead to your father because he's sick."

"Oh yeah, _that _ritual." Atemu had to do so many rituals and services, that sometimes he would lose track of them and forget which one was which. "But I can't Téa. You see-"

"I don't want to hear it Atemu." Téa turned a corner sharply, and began to pick up the pace, still dragging Atemu behind her, not noticing that he was trying to escape. "Ishizu is already waiting for you at the temple. Do you have any idea how long we've been trying to find you?!"

"No, but-"

"Ages! You know that this ritual is important, not just to you and your father, but to every single person that lives under the rule of the Pharaoh's. Oh boy, Ishizu's gonna be really mad when you…"

Atemu couldn't take it anymore. He had to find a doctor for that peasant boy. That was more important than another stupid ritual, wasn't it? He was trying to tell Téa, just she just wouldn't listen. Besides, he was the Prince of Egypt, and even though Téa was his closest friend, she was still only a servant girl who had to obey his every command…right?

"That's enough Téa!"

Atemu released his hand from Téa's strong grip and stop in his tracks. His sudden out burst cause Téa to stop too.

"Atemu…"

"Please, just listen to me Téa." Atemu clenched his fists as he felt his emotions become out of control. "I can't take part in the ritual today, because…because there's something more important I need to do…"

"But what's more important than this ritual?" Téa asked softly. Now she could see that something was bothering Atemu, but why didn't she see it before? Why didn't she listen?

"I need to fond a doctor, to…to help someone…"

"Who?"

"…a peasant."

"A peasant?!" Téa outburst. "How in the name of Ra did you get yourself involved with a peasant?"

"I saw him, when I was standing on the balcony… I saw the peasants rebuilding the building that was demolished during the Shadow Game last night, when I saw High Priest Seto Kaiba… He was ordering a guard to punish this peasant, but he hadn't done anything wrong! He was being punished for no reason!"

"…Atemu…"

"I didn't know what to do Téa!" Atemu turned around to that his back for facing Téa. He could feel tears beginning to form in his eyes. He didn't want to cry in front of her, he didn't want to look weak. "I couldn't just stand there and let him get hurt! I couldn't just walk away when this innocent person was getting hurt. I couldn't let that monster, Kaiba, continue this…this evil!" A single tear fell down his cheek and hit the floor. He placed his hand onto the Millennium puzzle that hung around his neck, and held onto it, tightly. "I just want to be a good Pharaoh, like my father. I don't want to be ruthless and evil, like Kaiba. I want to be kind and loyal to my people, but I'm afraid that I won't live up to the expectations of the people of Egypt! I'm afraid that I'll let my father down!"

Téa looked at the Prince, whom she could see was trying to control his emotions. She knew that Atemu had a lot of pressure on him right now; his father was dying, and he would soon be expected to take the throne, but she had no idea that it was affecting this way.

"Hey," Téa spoke softly. She walked round to face Atemu, and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Listen Atemu, the one thing that you don't have to worry about is letting down the people of Egypt. True, your father is a great Pharaoh, but I know that you'll be even greater."

Atemu slowly opened his eyes, and looked up at Téa.

"But, how can you be so sure?"

"Because deep in my heart, I know that you'll be the greatest Pharaoh that Egypt has ever seen. You'll make the Gods, and your father extremely proud."

Atemu smiled up at his friend. That was the thing about Téa; no matter how sad or depressed you were, no matter how alone you felt, she always reminded you that you were never alone, and that everything will work out.

"Thank you, Téa."

"No problem. What are friends for? Now…" Téa removed her hand from Atemu's shoulder, and placed on her chin, thinking. "How are we going to sort out this little problem of yours?"

"We'd better think of something quick, because the ritual is due to start soon, and the peasant will soon be brought to my chamber."

"You sent for the peasant to be brought up to your chamber?"

"Well, yes. He was injured, he needed help. I know outsiders are not permitted inside the palace, but what else was I suppose to do?"

"No, I guess you're right. So, you need to be at the temple, but you also need to be in your chamber when the peasant arrives…hmmm…hey! I know what we could do!"

Téa turned Atemu around and started pushing him down the corridor. To say that Atemu was surprised by this was an understatement.

"Hey! Téa, what are you-"

"Look's there's no time to go into it right now." Téa continued to push Atemu down the corridor, picking up the pace. "Ishizu is waiting for you right now, so you go and do this ritual-thing, and leave the peasant to me"

The pair arrived at a fork in the corridor. Téa stopped pushing Atemu and faced him. There were two doorways beside them; one that lead to the outside courtyard, where the temple was, and the other lead to the other rooms of the palace.

"But, what will you do with the peasant?" Atemu asked, not wanting to leave Téa with this burden.

"Don't worry! I'll just make sure that he's alright. I'll give him some water, make sure he isn't hurt too badly, you know, just making sure he's alright…It is a 'he', right?"

"Yes Téa," Atemu laughed. "Good luck with that, and thank you for helping me. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Atemu turned around and starting running towards the temple. He was already extremely late, and Ishizu would not be happy. But Atemu knew that somehow, she always seemed to forgive him.

Téa watched Atemu disappear down the sandy courtyard, then turned and walked down the second corridor.

-I-

Yugi winced as he landed on the hard, stone floor. He could hear the guards laughing at him as they closed the door behind him. Slowly, he pulled himself of the floor and onto his knees, rubbing his shoulder as a small bruise appeared. Not much time had past since he was called to the palace, and Yugi still didn't know the identity of his rescuer. As the guards had dragged him through the palace, the servants and the Priest's staring at him in disgust as he past, he had tried to ask them who had called him into the palace. Unfortunately, his voice was dry and sore from working under the hot sun with no water, and besides, he knew that the guards wouldn't answer him. He was just a lowly peasant.

From what Yugi had picked up from the incident, he guessed that this person was very important and powerful, since the High Priest seemed to obey his every command. Could it have been Pharaoh Akunumkanon? No, the Pharaoh was ill, it couldn't have been him. Maybe it was his son, the Prince of Egypt. But what would a Prince want with someone like him?

Yugi slowly stood up, wincing as he did. His back stung from the wounds he had received from the whip, and he felt small droplets falling down his back. Blood. Great, more battle scars. As he looked around the brilliantly decorated room, the sun shinning onto the golden furniture, lighting up the room, he wondered what would happen to him know. What was he-

Yugi turned around suddenly, staggering a little from the dizziness of dehydration. Someone had gasped. He was not alone in the room, and yet as he searched with his eyes, he couldn't see anyone. And he hadn't heard anyone enter the room. Had the sun finally affected his brain?

"Sorry if I startled you," a sweet, angelic voice spoke.

Yugi turned his head to the right, and saw that in front of a doorway, which Yugi assumed lead to an adjoining room, was a servant girl. She was about the same age as him, only a little taller. She had shoulder length brown hair and deep blue eyes. She was a simple white, short-sleeved dress that stopped at her shins, with simple embroidery in gold. She was also carrying two small clay pots, and had a piece of cloth draped over her arm.

"My name's Téa." Téa said, slowly walking towards Yugi "What's your name?"

"Y…Yugi…" Yugi answered a little weakly. _'This girl, she's not like the others. She doesn't look at me with hate and disgust like everyone else did. Her eyes show kindness. But can I trust her?'_

"Yugi? Wow, that's a very interesting name. I like it." Téa stopped in front of Yugi and looked down at him. She could feel a strange feeling in her body, like tiny butterflies, and her heart began to beat faster _'This peasant, Yugi, he looks so much like Atemu, as if they were brothers. But that's impossible. Atemu's mother died after she gave birth to Atemu, there's no way Yugi could be a long lost brother, or something like that. Besides, even though they may look the same, I can tell that they're personalities are different. Atemu is strong-minded and won't let anyone stand in his way. Yugi, on the other hand, he's…different. He would put other people first before himself, and wouldn't pick a fight unless he had to.'_

"Thank you…Téa." Yugi looked up at Téa. She seemed trustworthy enough.

"No problem. Well, now that we know each other, would it be OK if I have a look at your back? I noticed that you had some injuries."

"Err…no, I don't mind."

Téa smiled and placed the pots and cloth she was carrying down onto Atemu's bed, which they stood next to, before taking a closer look at Yugi's wounds. As she examined the cuts, she didn't even flinch in disgust at the bloody wounds. I guess that's what you get after helping out the palace doctor for most of your life.

She placed her hand on Yugi's back, causing Yugi to blush a little. She ran her fingers softly down his back, until it came into contact with one of the three whip marks. Yugi winced.

"Oh, sorry!" Téa apologised sincerely. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's OK." Yugi said, smiling. "I know you didn't."

Téa, glad that Yugi had forgiven her, walked over to the bed where she had placed the pots and clothe.

"The wounds are deep, but not serious." She took the cloth and placed it in one of the pots, letting it soak up the liquid inside. She picked up the second pot, and handed it to Yugi. "Here, drink some water. You must be very thirsty after working in the sun all day."

Yugi thanked Téa as he took the pot into his hands, and drank the water, soon satisfying his thirst. As Yugi drank the water, Téa took the cloth she had placed in the other pot, squeezed out the excess liquid, then placed it on Yugi's wounds. Yugi, not for the first time that day, winced as he felt his wounds stinging again.

"Sorry!" Téa apologised again

"It's OK," Yugi said through gritted teeth. "What is that stuff?"

"It's a special ointment that I got from one of the medicine men. I know it hurts, but I promise that it's good for you, and the pain will soon go away."

"OK, if you say so…erm…Téa...can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Well, I was just wondering…do you now who saved me from the High Priest, and who sent me here?"

"Of course I do." Téa removed the cloth and dunked it in the ointment again, then squeezed the excess water, before placing it back on Yugi's wounds. "Prince Atemu was the one that called you here."

"Prince Atemu?! But…why?"

"He didn't want to see you get hurt. Atemu hates to see innocent people get hurt. That's why he has such a big heart…a bit like you, I guess."

"Oh."

As Téa attended to Yugi's wounds, the two teens talked and got to know each other. Téa told Yugi that she had been working in the palace all her life, and that her mother, grandmother, everyone in her family had worked in the palace for the Pharaoh and his family. Yugi explained to Téa that he and his friends built all the monuments that were scattered around Egypt. He explained that he lived with his grandfather, since his parents had died when he was young.

"…so now I live with my grandpa, but unfortunately, he's really ill right now, so it's up to me to take care of him." Yugi finished explaining to Téa.

"I'm sorry Yugi," Téa said, touched at Yugi's story. From what he had told her, his life seemed to be filled with nothing but sadness.

"It's OK Téa, I know that my grandpa will get well soon. After all, I trust the Gods, and I pray to them every night."

"That's so sweet…" Téa lifted the cloth off Yugi's back to examine the wounds. "Well, it looks like your wounds have healed up nicely." She stood up and put the cloth back into the pot full of ointment. "Do you feel any better?"

Yugi turned around to face Téa, a smile plastered in his face. "Yeah, I feel much better now Téa, thanks."

"No problem, I'm just glad I could help."

Yugi and Téa stared into each other's eyes, a strange feeling washing over them. They had only just met, yet it felt like they had known each other an eternity, their feelings for each other growing with every passing second. Slowly, without them knowing what they were doing, their faces began to become closer and closer together. Yugi closed his eyes as his face came closer and closer to Téa's, his heart beating faster and faster. Téa, too, closed her eyes, softening her lips. Their faces continuing closer and closer to one another, their lips only inches away…

"Téa, are you in there?"

Yugi and Téa stopped at the sound of a voice outside the room. They both opened each other's eyes simultaneously, blushing as they made eye contact. Quickly, they pulled their faces away, both a little embarrassed. Téa whispered a quick 'sorry', then collected the pots and made her way to the door. Yugi watched her with saddened eyes.

Just as Téa was about to open the door, she turned around to face Yugi.

"It was nice meeting you Yugi, and I hope we meet again soon."

And with that, Téa opened the door and disappeared.

-I-

Atemu looked up as the door opened in front of him, and saw Téa step out of his room. As he looked closer, he could see that she was smiling, and had a small blush on her cheeks.

"Is the peasant OK?" Atemu asked

Téa jumped at Atemu's voice, and turned to face him.

"Atemu, you scared me!"

"Sorry, but you seemed to be lost in thought. Are you OK?"

"What?…oh yeah! I'm fine Atemu, don't worry about me! Haha!"

Atemu eyed Téa suspiciously. She was up to something.

"So, was it you who called?" Téa asked

"Yes. I was wondering if the peasant is OK?"

"He's fine. I gave him some water and I cleaned up his wounds. You can go in a see him if you want."

Atemu nodded in response and watched as Téa started making her way down the corridor.

"Oh, just one thing." Téa said, turning to face Atemu. "He's not a long lost brother!" And with that, Téa disappeared down the corridor.

Atemu stood there, confused. Just what did she mean by that? Confused and curious, Atemu opened the door and stepped into the room.

-I-

Yugi in the room, and little surprised what had just happened. One minute, he and Téa were talking, and the next, they were about to kiss! And they had only just met! Talk about love at first sight. But, as Yugi thought about it, that what it was. Love. He had fallen in love with Téa; at least, he think he had.

Suddenly, Yugi heard the main door behind him open. _'That must be Prince Atemu!' _he thought. As he heard footsteps entering the room, and the large door closing, Yugi fell to his knees and bowed to the floor.

Atemu closed the door behind him and looked around the room. Strange, there was nobody here. He took a few steps forward, and then saw something in front of him. It was the peasant boy, bowing on the floor, his face on the ground, and even though the sun was now beginning to set, Atemu could see clearly that this boy had the same hair as him.

'Strange. How can this peasant have hair that resembles mine? I thought I was the only person. Was this what Téa meant by what she said?'

"Dear friend," Atemu addressed Yugi, "you do not have to bow to me. You are my guest here. Please, stand on your feet."

Yugi was unsure of whether to stand up in the presence of the Prince of Egypt. He was taught that if he was ever in the presence of royalty, he must always bow to the floor. But, then again, he had asked Yugi to stand up. If Atemu wanted him to stand up, then he should obey him.

Slowly, Yugi got to his feet, but kept his head down, staring at the floor.

Atemu watched the boy and he rose, a slight panic entering his mind. This peasant looked his age, had the same hair, and was almost his height, but how was this possible? His face was still in shadow, but Atemu had a strange feeling of what was to come.

"Let me see your face," Atemu said gently, hiding the panic in his voice.

Yugi once again obeyed the Prince's command, and looked up at Atemu…

…and both gasped at the sight before them…

They looked exactly the same, like brothers. They had the same eyes, same skin, same hair, same everything. It was amazing, and yet frightening. How could someone look exactly like you, if they were not related to you?

A silence filled the room as the two Egyptians started at each other, until that both spoke at the exact same time…

"You're me!"

-I-

To be continued…

-I-

Please R&R! I'll try and put the next chapter up before I go on holiday (which will be in a few weeks), but I think you can guess what happens next


	4. The Switch

Hey guys! Sorry for the late update but I've got piles and piles of work to get through, AND I've just come back from a holiday. BUT, even though it's about 6am and I've just got in, I thought I'd make it up to you and start writing the next chapter.

Thanks to these guys for reviewing:

**Yami's Wife, Samantha, Green Phantom Queen, sugarpony**

**Warning: **Sorry to all Seto fans but he is older (though I don't really see that as a bad thing…) in this story and I've made him the villain. I'm really sorry about that! I have nothing against him, but he just seemed to fit in with the part! Also, there are hints of **Yugi x Téa** in later chapters.

_'Thoughts'_

"Speaking"

**Remember: **In Ancient Egypt, the tunics that the men wore were a bit like skirts, so basically, they were topless. This is an important factor for this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! and I do not own the Prince and the Pauper

-I-

The Pharaoh and the Pauper

Chapter 4: The Switch

Summary: **YugixTéa.** After a peasant Yugi and the pharaoh-to-be Atemu meet by chance and switch lives, things start to go wrong. Will Yugi be able to find Atemu so that he can be crowned Pharaoh? Or will Seto's plan work?

-I-

_"Let me see your face," Atemu said gently, hiding the panic in his voice._

_Yugi once again obeyed the Prince's command, and looked up at Atemu…_

_…and both gasped at the sight before them…_

_They looked exactly the same, like brothers. They had the same eyes, same skin, same hair, same everything. It was amazing, and yet frightening. How could someone look exactly like you, if they were not related to you?_

_A silence filled the room as the two Egyptians started at each other, until that both spoke at the exact same time…_

_"You're me!"_

A silence filled the room, causing the tension to grow. Atemu and Yugi stared at each other, eyes wide, jaws open, both as shocked as the other. They looked so alike, as if a mirror had been placed in front of them. Sure, there were a few differences. For example, Yugi wore the same ragged tunic that he wore everyday, whilst Atemu wore a tunic made of the finest cloth in Egypt; clean white with a thick sky blue band at the bottom, with a cloak around his shoulders, a crown on top of his head, and the Millennium Puzzle around his neck. But apart from that, it was as if they were brothers. And as they continued to stare, they both thought the same thing…

Am I dreaming?

Atemu, suspecting Yugi, began to circle around him, never taking his eyes of the peasant before him. Yugi, not trusting the Prince, for he had heard rumours, copied his every step, him too making sure that he always saw the Prince in front of him.

They continued to circle each other, still staring one another down, until Atemu suddenly stopped. Yugi promptly stopped too, still not completely trusting the Prince. He had heard from other peasants that the Prince never truly revealed himself, and would always do what his father would do. Did that mean that he was to have Yugi killed? No, the Prince wouldn't do that. After all, he had saved Yugi from being sent to the shadow realm. Still, Yugi did not trust him, and was always on his guard.

The two Egyptians went back to staring at each other, and as they did so, they simultaneously, and self consciously, lifted up their right hand, and pinched their left arm, just making sure they weren't dreaming. Unfortunately, the sharp pain they felt soon told them they weren't, and both rubbed the area of skin they had pinched in an attempt to stop the pain. Once the pain had (finally) gone, the resumed their staring contest.

The remained like that for another few moments, each trying not to blink, each waiting for the other to move, until Yugi noticed Atemu's face begin to twitch and change. It slowly changed from shock and suspicion, to something completely different, and his shoulders began to shake. That's when Atemu did the last thing Yugi expected a Prince to do…

…he laughed…

But not a small polite laughter. Nope. Atemu was roaring with laughter. Yugi just stared, a blank look on his face, as the Prince carried on laughing, holding onto his stomach as he found it harder to breath, tears beginning to form in his eyes…

"Err…excuse me…your highness…" Yugi began, choosing his words carefully

"Please…c-call me…Atemu…hahaha!" Atemu said in between laughs, before breaking out in another fit.

"Ok…Atemu." Yugi continued to watch Atemu as his laughter became louder and louder, becoming a little scared at the Prince's actions. And it didn't look like he was going to stop any time soon. "C-could I ask you…what's so funny?"

Atemu, slowly but surely, began to calm down after Yugi asked the question. Wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes, and taking in large gulps of air to control his breathing, Atemu looked up at Yugi, a large smile still plastered on his face.

"I am sorry for my sudden outburst," Atemu apologised. He bowed slightly and Yugi. "I do not usually burst out like that, and I haven't laughed in what seems like an eternity." Yugi gave Atemu a funny look. Atemu saw this and began to laugh nervously. "It's just that, I thought that you and I looking so alike…I guess I found it…funny…"

Yugi gave the Prince another weird look, before taking a small step back. In truth, he hadn't found it funny that they looked so alike, he thought it was scary. _'O-K, I had no idea that the son of the Great Pharaoh was this…weird…'_

Atemu laughed nervously again and cleared his throat, keen to get a conversation going.

"Anyway, I am the son of the Pharaoh and Prince of Egypt, Prince Atemu." Yugi immediately dropped to the floor and bowed again. Atemu sighed as Yugi did so. He hated it when people did this. "Please, get up. You are my guest, you should not bow before me. And please call me Atemu; not Prince Atemu, not your highness, just Atemu."

Yugi looked up and smiled shyly at Atemu, then slowly stood up, feeling like an idiot. He brushed himself off and faced Atemu.

"Well, now that I've introduced myself, please, tell me, what is your name?"

"Yugi. Yugi Moto."

"Yugi...what an interesting name. Well Yugi, I'd like to welcome you to the palace." Atemu lifted his arm out and indicated to Yugi the grand room that they were in. Yugi felt his jaw drop to the floor.

Atemu laughed silently as he watched Yugi admire the room around him, this jaw practically dragging on the floor. But as Yugi continued to walk around in a circle looking up at the ceiling and the walls, Atemu noticed something on his back. As he looked closer, he could clearly see the three deep marks on his back. From what he could tell, they looked like whip marks.

"Yugi," Atemu began, "do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Err…no, go ahead." Yugi answered, snapping out of his dream state.

"Well, I was just wondering…these marks on your back, they're from a whip, are they not?"

Yugi looked down at the floor slightly, only now remembering the events of that day.

"Yes, they are. I was being punished because I wasn't working fast enough."

"Who punished you?"

"Priest Seto ." A chill ran down Yugi's spine.

"Seto, huh! Some 'Priest' he is." Atemu could feel his hate towards the Priest beginning to boil, but he soon managed to control his emotions. He turned back to face Yugi, whom was now looking up at the wall, and continued to ask questions, eager to find out more about Yugi's hard life. His life sounded to hard and cruel, there must be something that Atemu could do to help these innocent people. "Are you usually punished like this, and by him?"

"No, not always." Yugi turned and walked to the archway that leads out onto the balcony, the last rays of sunshine filling the room. "Today was different to what I'm used to, that's all. I was taken out of my area to help rebuild that building that was demolished during the Shadow Game last night."

"Out of your area? Where do you usually work then?" Atemu was eager to get off the subject of the Shadow Game. Many people were injured during that dark battle, many of them innocent people.

And there were no prizes in guessing who started that dark battle.

"I usually work on the outskirts of the city, away from the houses and near where the desert starts." Yugi pointed out the archway and a small black dot in the distance, where he and the other peasants were currently building another monument for the Gods. "That's also near where I live with my grandpa."

"Your grandfather? But what about your parents?"

Yugi bowed his head once again, and held his arms. His violet eyes became sad, and tears started to form.

"My parents died mysteriously when I was a young boy. I don't remember them that well, but I'm told that I look more like my father than my mother, though I do have her eyes. Anyway, since they passed on, I've been living with my grandpa. He's taken care of me since I was a baby." Yugi tightened the grip on his arms. "But now he's ill and I have to take care of him. The only problem is, no matter what I do, he's gets worse, and I don't how much longer he has left."

A single tear fell down Yugi's cheek. He quickly wiped it away, not wanting to cry in front of the son of the Pharaoh.

Atemu watched Yugi with saddened eyes and a sore heart, touched by Yugi's story. It reminded him of his own life's story. There were so many similarities. He sighed deeply and collapsed onto his bed, just missing a small pile of clothes with had been placed there earlier in the day. He sat up and rested his chin on his hand, resting his elbow's on his knees.

"I don't know if this will help Yugi, but I know how you feel," Atemu spoke, staring at a large object on the other side of the room, which was covered in a large black cloth. "I went through something very similar.

"Oh?" Yugi spoke gently. He sat down on the bed next to Atemu. "Do you want to…talk about it? I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to…but it might help you feel better."

Atemu turned his head slightly to smile at Yugi, then turned back facing the large object in front of him. He had only known Yugi for a short amount of time, but he already knew that he could easily be trusted. Atemu couldn't explain it, but there was something about Yugi that made him want to talk about his problems, and not keep them bottled up inside, like he had done so these past few years.

"You know, I think you're right. Talking about it probably will help me feel better." Atemu put his hands into a ball and rested his forehead on top of them. He took a deep breath, and sighed deeply. "My mother died soon after my birth, so my father had to raise me on his own, with the help of the Priest's and Priestesses. One of them, Ishizu, has spent so much time with me whilst I was growing up, I sometimes thing of her as a sister! But recently, everything's changed…

"The Pharaoh, my father, is desperately ill, and will soon not be in this world with us anymore. Once that happens, I will be expected to take the throne and rule Egypt. But I am only 16! I am too young and inexperienced to be a Pharaoh!" He sighed deeply again, and lifted his head up, resting his chin in his hands. "I just feel trapped right now."

Yugi didn't say a word. What was he suppose to say after something like that? His problems seemed unimportant compared to Atemu's. It seemed that life at the top wasn't all that like he thought it was.

"Yugi," Atemu said, looking up at the boy that looked so much like himself, "can I ask you another question?"

"Err…sure…" Yugi answered, a little surprised. He had never met anyone this polite before.

"What's it like, out there?"

Yugi blinked at the Prince, unsure of the question at first. But when he got his head around it, he answered the Prince's question. Or rather, attempted to answer the question.

"It's…OK. It could be better, but it's alright the way it is. Why do you ask?"

"Do you…would you…do you sometimes wish that you could change it?"

"Nearly everyday," Yugi replied sadly. He looked at the floor again and began to kick some dirt with his worn out sandals. "Life as a peasant isn't all that."

"Yeah right! At least you get to go outside in the air and sunshine."

"Oh yeah, working under the boiling hot sun for the whole day with hardly any water is sooooo much fun…not! You're the lucky one anyway, living in a palace like this!" Yugi lifted his hand, indicating the lavishly decorated room in which they stood.

"Trust me, living in the palace isn't all it's cracked up to be. You wake up early at sunrise, get served breakfast-"

"Mmm…breakfast…"

"-go to morning lessons, do all the ceremonies that you're expected to do, more lessons, dinner, then bed. It's the same thing everyday!"

"Sounds like heaven…" Yugi said dreamily, imagining his life as a Prince.

Atemu looked at Yugi, confused, before looking back at the large object.

"I just wish I could change my life…"Atemu sighed

"Me too…"

Atemu continued to stare at the 'thing' with a blank expression in his face. It was whilst he was staring at it that he got a great idea. With a cunning look on his face, he slowly turned his head to face Yugi, and judging by his face, he had had the same idea.

"Yugi, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I hope not…"

Atemu's smile widened as the idea was being formed and planned out in his head, excitement and adrenaline pulsing through his body.

"Why don't we switch!"

-I-

A small breeze blew through the air, causing her brown hair to sway and her body to shiver. She wrapped her arms around herself as a chill ran down her spine. It may be the middle of the desert, but that didn't mean it stayed hot all the time. After the sun had set, a cold chill ran across the land in the Great Pharaoh's.

Téa stood on one of the many large balconies in the palace, her white servants gown being blown about by the small wind. She watched as the sun set before her, the Obelisks scattered around being covered by shadow. But as her eyes watched the beautiful sight before her, Téa's heart (and mind) were far away…

_'What happened back there? One minute I was helping him with his wounds, and the next, we were almost kissing! If Atemu hadn't knocked in the door, who knows what would have happened…although, I wouldn't mind finding that out!'_ Téa blushed when she realised what she was thinking. _'What's wrong with me? I can't be thinking like this! But, that peasant…Yugi…everything about him is so similar to Atemu, but different too. And he's so…so…mysterious…his wounds, his voice, his mind, his body, his tanned, muscled body…' _Téa blushed even harder and shook her head, trying to stop these thoughts. _'Stop think like that Téa! You can't think like that, not now. Besides, he's a peasant, and lives on the other side of the city, far away from the palace. Which mean that…I'll never see him again…'_

A single tear escaped her blue eyes and slowly rolled down her cheek.

"…Yugi…"

"Téa?"

Téa jumped at the sound of her name and quickly spun round, hoping it wasn't the head maid…only to find that it wasn't the head maid, but someone else…

"Ishizu, you scared me!" Téa said, quickly wiping the tears in her eyes away. She didn't want to look like a sad little girl. Besides, Ishizu must never find out about Yugi, otherwise Atemu and herself would be in major trouble.

Another pang went through her heart at the thought of the peasant.

"Téa, are you alright?" Ishizu asked, walking closer to the teenage girl. Ishizu had known Téa almost her entire life, and could always read her like a book.

It was the same with Atemu.

"Yes, everything's fine Ishizu." Téa sniffled a bit, and wiped another tear away from her eyes. "I just got some sand in my eyes, that's all."

Although she didn't show it, Ishizu knew that Téa was lying. Something, or someone was affecting her somehow. The only question was, who? But Ishizu did not speak her thoughts with Téa, for she knew that she would tell her when she was ready. Instead, she just smiled and gave her a friendly hug, which Téa greatly appreciated. Once they broke apart, Ishizu placed her hand gently on Téa's shoulder, comforting her as best she could.

"You know that you can trust me Téa, and you can tell me anything, right?"

Téa smiled at the older woman. That was the thing with Ishizu, she always cheered you up when you were down, or helped you with your problems. She was like a mother to Téa.

"Yeah, I know." Téa stood silent for a minute, before asking a question that nagged her in her mind. "So Ishizu, what are you doing up here? You hardly ever come to the top rooms of the palace."

Ishizu removed her hand from Téa's shoulder so that she could come and stand next to her. She faced the town below her and watched the setting sun, the wind blowing against her face. The first few stars were appearing in the sky.

"I was actually looking for Atemu," Ishizu finally answered.

"Atemu? But why?"

"He was acting strange during the ritual today, and rushed off as soon as it was finished without saying a word." Ishizu turned her head round to face Téa. "You wouldn't happen to know why Téa, would you?"

"Err…" Téa racked her brains for an idea. "Nope." She mentally kicked herself. She hated lying, especially to Ishizu.

"Well, would you know where he is?"

Once again Téa racked her brains to come up with an excuse. Fortunately, it only took her a few moments to come up with something simple, yet original.

"Nope. I have no idea." She kicked herself mentally again. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was hoping I could find him and ask him what's wrong. His father's illness has affected him dearly these past few months and I feel as though I should help him."

"I know what you mean." Téa thought about how Atemu has been so depressed lately. He hasn't smiled for weeks. She wished she could help him. After all, they were best friends.

Ishizu smiled at the young girl.

"Atemu is very lucky to have friends like us."

"You can say that again!"

Ishizu laughed lightly, then turned around and began to make her way back inside the palace.

"I must go now Téa. You can stay here and watch the last of the sunset if you wish, whilst I check his room."

Ishizu disappeared inside the palace. Once she was gone, Téa turned around towards the sunset. She closed her eyes as another breeze blew against her face.

"Yeah, you go check his room Ishizu whilst I'll stay here…wait a minute…his room?…" Téa's eyes shot open. _'That's where Yugi is with Atemu!'_

Téa spun round and ran down the corridor, trying to catch up with Ishizu.

"Ishizu! Wait up! I don't think you should go in there!"

-I-

"OK, so let me get this straight." Yugi continued to pace up and down the room. For the past few minutes, Atemu had been going through his plan of his, and even though it sounded good, Yugi still wasn't convinced. "You want us to swap lives for a week, so that I get to experience life as a Prince, and you as a peasant?"

Atemu was still sitting on the bed, watching Yugi pace up and down as he kept on going through the basic plan.

"Yes, that's right," Atemu answered calmly.

"Are you NUTS?" Yugi stopped and faced the Prince. "Do you realise how much trouble we could get into if we're discovered? I could be sentenced to death for impersonating a member of the royal family! Death!"

Atemu thought for a moment. It seemed that convincing Yugi was going to be harder than he thought. He looked around the room to see if there was anything that would help him. He soon found it fortunately. He stood up and slowly walked past Yugi.

"Are you even listening?" Yugi asked as Atemu walked past.

"Yes, I'm listening Yugi." Atemu walked towards the large object he had been staring at earlier, the one covered in a black cloth. He studied it for a moment. "I know what the risks are Yugi, but I have no doubts about the plan, since we both look so alike." He began to pull the cloth off the large object.

Yugi just watched as the Prince struggled with the cloth.

"And how do you know that we look so alike?" The cloth was almost completely off now, but Yugi still continued talking. "You don't even have a…" The cloth fell to the floor in front of Atemu to reveal a large, brilliantly decorated mirror. Yugi sighed in defeat. "A mirror."

Atemu moved the cloth away with his foot, and then examined the condition of he old the mirror, before indicating for Yugi to come over.

"Come on Yugi. Come and have a look."

Yugi sighed again and made his way over. He stood next to Atemu and looked into the mirror. The sight before himself took his breath away. Once again he felt his jaw drop to the ground.

If someone had entered that room there and then, they wouldn't have believed that Atemu and Yugi weren't related. They looked exactly like twins.

"Well, what do you think Yugi?" Atemu asked, eager for an answer. "Don't we look alike?"

Yugi looked closer into the mirror, and as he did so, he noticed a few differences.

"I agree that we do look alike," he began, "but there are a few differences."

"Like what?"

"Well, our hair is slightly different. I mean; you have more blonde streaks in your hair. And our eyes; my eyes are rounder than yours."

Atemu looked closer at the mirror. Sure enough, Yugi was right. There were a few differences, but they were only small. No one would notice them…would they?

"But apart from that," Yugi continued, "we do look a lot like brothers."

Atemu looked at Yugi. Could it be that he was persuading Yugi to go along with the plan?

"So, shall we go through with it?"

"…I don't know…"

_'This is going to take longer than I thought'_ Atemu thought. He looked around the room again for something else that might help. He needed something that would help show Yugi that no one would notice the difference, like a crown, or clothes or…

Clothes! That's it!

Atemu quickly walked over to his bed and picked up the small pile of clothes, which were placed there earlier in the day, then made his way back to the mirror. Once he was next to Yugi again, he dumped the clothes into his arms.

"There you go."

Yugi was confused. He looked down at the clothes in his arms, then at the Prince, then back down at the clothes.

"Err…what am I suppose to do with these?"

"Go and try them on! You put these clothes here on, and I'll put on your clothes. That way, you'll see how alike we really look. Just go and get changed in that small room over there and give me your things when you're done."

Yugi looked at the doorway to the room that Atemu had pointed out, then at the Prince himself. He sighed and wandered off into the extra room, feeling like he didn't have a choice.

Yugi closed the door behind him, and examined the clothes he had been give. They were just like the one's that Atemu wore; only instead of it being sky blue and white, it was red and white.

Yugi crawled out of his ragged old tunic, and pulled on the fresh, clean one that Atemu had just given him. The light fabric brushed against his skin as he pulled on the tunic and wrapped the red cape around his shoulders, flowing down his back. He smoothed them out with his hand, admiring the rich cloth. As he picked up his old tunic and sandals, and made his way back to Atemu's room, he couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous that Atemu got to wear this everyday.

Yugi soon met up with Atemu, and without words, Yugi gave Atemu his old clothes. As Atemu went into the second room to get changed, Yugi went back to the mirror to see what he looked like. And he had to admit, now that he had these fancy clothes on, he did look a lot more like Atemu.

Speaking of the Prince, he soon stepped out of the second room, dressed in Yugi's old clothes and joined Yugi next to the mirror. As they examined themselves, they both noticed that something was missing.

"Err, Atemu," Yugi piped up, "Is it just me, or is there something missing from all this?"

Atemu nodded his head in agreement. Even though they were wearing each other's clothes, something important was still missing. Atemu thought for a moment, tapping his fingers on the Millennium Puzzle around his neck, like he always did…

Wait a minute…

Atemu laughed at himself when he realised what was missing. How could he be so stupid?

"What's so funny?" Yugi asked

"I've just figured out what's missing."

"Really? What is it?"

Yugi's question was answered not by words, but by actions. Atemu removed a gold object from the top of his head and placed it on Yugi's. Yugi admired the gold in the mirror.

"Every Prince needs a crown," Atemu commented. "And…"

Yugi looked up as he saw Atemu removing something else. He gasped as he placed a golden pyramid shaped pendent was placed around his neck. He held it in his hands, feeling the weight in each hand.

"You've giving me the Millennium Puzzle…but why?"

"Well, if the Prince didn't have one of the seven Millennium items, people would start asking questions, wouldn't they?"

"I guess you're right…"

"So, what do you think? Are you willing to go through with the plan?"

Yugi looked up at their reflections in the mirror. Now that they were in different clothes, he had to admit the plan would capable of working. There was just one thing bothering him…

"Before I answer that question, could you answer this one for me: what about my injuries on my back? Won't people notice?"

"Not if you wear the cape."

"Oh yeah, you're right! OK then, now that that's sorted, I agree to go through with this plan-"

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Let me finish! I agree to go through with it if we have some sort of test first-"

KNOCK KNOCK

Yugi and Atemu turned around. They could hear voices outside the door. Their hearts began to beat faster and faster.

"Looks like you got your wish" Atemu said.

As Yugi froze in fear, Atemu looked around the room for a place to hide…

KNOCK KNOCK!

"Prince Atemu, are you in there?"

It was Ishizu. What was she doing here?

"Just a minute Ishizu!"

As Atemu searched for a hiding place, he heard a second voice coming from outside the door…

"Ishizu are you sure you want to go in there?" he heard Téa say.

Atemu looked around the room again for a hiding place. The only place he could think of was the second room. He quickly made his way to the door. Ishizu can't see Yugi and himself together, especially in each other clothes. Anyway, Yugi wanted a test, and now he's got one.

Yugi unfroze, recovering from his shock, to see Atemu running towards the second room.

"Atemu!" He said in a loud whisper. "Where are you going?"

Atemu stopped by the door and turned around to face Yugi.

"What? You wanted a test didn't you?"

"Yes, but not right now! I don't know what to do!"

"Just act like me!"

Could he have said anything more complicated? Yugi began to panic. He paced up and down the room.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"I can't do this, I can't do this…"

"Yes you can Yugi! I have faith in you! Just pretend to be me." Atemu turned to face the main door. "You may enter Ishizu!" he shouted to the woman on the other side of the door, then disappeared into the second room.

Yugi stood still as the main door to the chamber opened, and a woman with long black hair walked in, the Millennium Necklace around her neck. By the looks of her clothes, Yugi guessed that she was a Priestess. But she wasn't alone. Someone else had walked in. Someone Yugi didn't expect to see, with shoulder length brown hair and deep blue eyes.

"…Téa…"

He hadn't noticed Téa's voice outside. Probably because he was panicking so much. The two women walked up to Yugi and stopped in front of him.

"There you are Atemu," the older lady began, "We've been looking everywhere for you. What have you been doing all this time?"

Yugi racked his brains for an answer. 'Remember, think like Atemu, think like a Prince…'

"I was…tired…from the…days work…so I thought I would…rest for a while. Yeah…that's it!…I needed a rest!…Haha!" Yugi rubbed the back of his head self-consciously.

"Tired? Tired from what?" The older woman inquired. Yugi guessed that this was Ishizu.

"Err…well…you see…" Yugi was really struggling now.

"He was helping me," Téa spoke up, whom up until that moment, was looking at the person in front of her in a very strange way. 'Is it just me, or does Atemu look different? Ah well, who ever he is, I can't let Ishizu figure out that this isn't the real Atemu…or is it? AH! I'm confusing myself!'

"He was helping you?" Ishizu enquired

"Yes. I was behind…so…he offered to help."

"Is this true?" Ishizu asked, facing 'Atemu'.

Yugi swallowed hard and nodded quickly. Ishizu wasn't totally convinced. Atemu was up to something, she could feel it. Maybe her Millennium Necklace would be able to help her…

"OK, if you say so," Ishizu spoke, pretending to believe them. "As long as you weren't breaking the rules or doing anything stupid."

Both Téa and Yugi laughed nervously.

"Well, I must be going now." Ishizu turned around and made her way towards the door. "Come Téa, you are expected in the kitchen soon."

"Coming!" Before leaving, Téa took one last look at 'Atemu'. There was definitely something different about him, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Whatever it was, it felt very familiar to her. And why was heart heartbeat racing ahead?

Yugi watched as Ishizu and Téa left the room, closing the door behind them. But even after they were gone, Yugi didn't stop staring at the door. Seeing Téa again had sent him into dream world.

Once the room was clear, Atemu came out of his hiding place and made his way over to where Yugi was. As he did so, he saw the look on Yugi's face, and immediately knew what he was thinking.

"I know you like Téa," he whispered into Yugi's ear.

Yugi immediately turned around, blushing bright red.

"I do not!"

Atemu laughed and sat back down on his bed. "By the way, you handled the situation well, though in real life, Téa won't be able to bail you out."

Yugi blushed even more. "I know!"

"So, you still want to swap?"

Yugi thought for a moment. If he did swap with Atemu, he wouldn't have to work for a week, and he would be able to spend more time with Téa. Though, if he did agree, he would have to leave his grandfather in the care of Atemu…

"If I agree, do you promise to take care of my grandpa?"

"I promise. I won't let anything happen to him."

"Well, in that case…lets go for it!"

-I-

The two teens spent the next 30 minutes explaining their daily routine. Atemu explained the lesson plans, what Yugi would be learning, how he should behave in front of others, and most importantly, how to get on Seto's nerves! Yugi explained how Atemu should act in front of the guards and what types of jobs he would be doing. He also explained how to look after his sick grandfather. They both also told each other the names and a description of the people they are most likely to meet.

Soon, after the sun had disappeared, it was time for Atemu to leave the palace and make his way to Yugi's home.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Yugi asked for the tenth time.

"Yes Yugi, I know where I'm going. Do you know the main rooms of the palace?"

"Yeah I think so." There was a long pause in which no one knew what to say to each other. They both hated goodbyes. "Well, I guess you'd better leave in a minute."

"Yes, I should, shouldn't I? Take care of Ishizu and Téa for me whilst I'm gone."

"I will, if you take care of my grandpa and Joey and Tristan."

"Deal!"

Yug and Atemu shook hands and whished each other luck, before Atemu disappeared down the dark corridor. He had lived in the palace all his life, and knew all the secret roots, so he wouldn't get caught…he hoped.

Yugi made his way over to the balcony and leaned on the side. He could just make out Atemu's shadow as he ran through the courtyard. Once Yugi had lost sight of him, he looked up at the sky, shimmering in the night sky.

_'I can't believe I'm doing this. I must be mad! Me, Yugi Moto, a lowly peasant, swapping places with the Prince of Egypt! I must be out of my mind to agree with this! But...at least it's only for one week. I mean, what can go wrong in a week?'_

Yugi was soon about to find out…

To be continued…

-I-

Please RR guys. I'm very tired after writing that! Sorry if some bits didn't make any sense!


	5. A Peasant named Atemu

I'm really really REALLY sorry that it's taken me this long to update, but I've been really busy with school work, and I'll probably won't be able to update for a while after this, since I have important exams coming up and I need to revise! I'll try and post the next chapter, and I'm working on (yet) another Yugi and Téa fic, but other than that I'm afraid I may not be able to update until the end of June. So, once again, I'm really sorry!

Aww, I only got 1 review for the last chapter. Is this story really that bad? Well, the good news is that its gets way better starting at the end of the next chapter!

Thanks so much to **Yami's Wife** for reviewing! (Please send more reviews like that! ) Bakura will be making a small appearance, but I'm not sure about Marik. I may mention him a few times, but other than that he may not be appearing in this story.

Now, lets get on with the show!

_'Thoughts'_

"Speaking"

**Remember: **In Ancient Egypt, the tunics that the men wore were a bit like skirts, so basically, they were topless. This is an important factor for this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! and I do not own the Prince and the Pauper

(1): The Egyptians believed that he sun was the God Ra

I-

The Pharaoh and the Pauper

Chapter 5: A Peasant Named Atemu

I-

Atemu screwed his eyes as the early morning sun shone down on his face. He slowly opened them, adjusting to the light, and bolted up in surprise when he saw the sight before him.

_'Where am I? This isn't my room!'_

He looked around the strange, small room. By the looks of it, from all the dust and cracks in the wall, it must have been one of the houses on the outskirts or the city, if you could call them houses. The walls were made of mud and clay, the doors old pieces of wood, the furniture ready to fall apart. Panic set in, and Atemu began to fear the worse. How did he get here? Had he been kidnapped?

A grunt like sound caught his attention. He carefully looked to his left, and saw someone else was in the room with him. An old man, with strange hair. Even though it had turned grey long ago, the shape remained the same; the strange pointy forelocks that covered the man's eyes looked familiar to Atemu. They were much like his own…

And then it hit him…

Yugi!

That's right! Last night, he and Yugi had switched. It was all coming back to him now. After discussing each other's lives, preparing for the swap, Atemu had left the palace, leaving Yugi in his place. He had been very careful in making sure that none of the guards had seen him, and it was safe to say they hadn't. It had taken him a while to find Yugi's house, not that Yugi's directions were hard to understand: _" Go to the southern outskirts of the city until you find a well in the middle of an old square. Turn right at the well and walk 15 paces until you come to a small house with a symbol of a turtle on the wall…" _It's just that Atemu found it a little hard to find his way in the dark. He soon found it though, and was quite relieved when he did.

But before he had left last night, he had taken one last look at the Palace of the Pharaohs, his home for the last 16 years, the place where he had grown up. He couldn't believe that he was actually leaving; even it was for only a week. But even though he couldn't wait to get away, a part of him didn't want to leave. He was leaving everything behind; his home, his friends, his father…

_'…Father…'_

His thoughts immediately turned to his father. He was so ill, and getting worse with each passing day. The doctor had said that he wouldn't last for much longer. And when that time came, Atemu would have to take his place as the Pharaoh.

He rubbed the back of his neck. He wasn't used to not having the Millennium Puzzle. His father had given it to him only a short time ago, for he was too weak to use it and knew that his time was almost up.

Atemu crawled out of the rickety old 'bed' in which sat in, and walked over to a small window, lifting up the piece of rag in front of it. He could see the palace very clearly from where he stood. It glowed in the early morning light, showing off its importance to the rest of the world. Atemu felt a pang in his heart.

"I'll be back soon father, I promise," he spoke to himself. "Just don't leave me, not yet…"

He sighed and turned around. The old man, Yugi's grandfather, lay asleep. He had promised Yugi that he would take care of his sick grandfather whilst he was here. After all, he knew exactly how Yugi felt. The only problem was, he couldn't remember all of Yugi's instructions…

Oh, he could remember things like 'collect food and water', and 'go to work' etc, but he just couldn't remember _where_ everything was, like the work site that he had to go to for work.

"OK," Atemu said thoughtfully to himself. "The first thing I need to do is get some water from the well." He picked up one of the many clay pots scattered in he Moto's house, and walked towards the door. "It wasn't too far away, I think…"

He walked out the old door, closing it quietly behind him, not wanting to wake up Yugi's grandfather (he couldn't remember his name), and started walking down the road. As he slowly made his way down the dusty, sandy street, the Egyptian God Ra(1)slowly rising into the blue sky, shinning down on the world below him, Atemu looked around at the other houses. Through the small windows, he could see the other peasants and slaves preparing for the day ahead; preparing the morning meals for their family, getting their children dressed, all the usual things that people do in the morning. There was one house that particularly caught Atemu's attention.

He stopped and looked inside a small house near the end of the street. A mother was helping her two young children, a boy and a girl, with washing their faces. It seemed they had had a little too much fun at breakfast, and not had food all over their little faces.

As the mother continued to clean her children's faces, the little girl caught sight of Atemu at the window. She smiled and gave a small wave. Atemu, a little surprised at the little girl's kindness, smiled and waved back, causing the little girl to giggle, before walking away, a newfound happiness inside of him. As he turned the corner and the saw the well, he couldn't help but think that this swap may not be as bad as he thought.

He came to the well and found that not many people were crowded around it. Strange, as he thought that it would be pretty popular in the morning. He shrugged this thought off and continued with the job at hand. He quickly collected the water, pouring it into the clay pot, and made his way back to the house.

Once he returned, he quickly continued with Yugi's morning routine, rememberong the different jobs he had to do as he went. Putting the pot of water down, he looked around the small room front room and inside all the small cupboards for food. There seemed to be enough for Yugi's grandfather and himself for a week, if he rationed it well enough.

Ho took out half a loaf of bread and cut it into a few slices, placing them on what Atemu believed to be two small clay plates. He then poured some water into two clay cups and took one of them into the sleeping quarters, along with some of the bread. He placed them down on a small stool next to the old man's bed. Yugi's grandfather was still fast asleep, so Atemu thought it was best to leave him to rest. He walked back out to the front room and ate his small breakfast. He was so used to having lavish meals at the palace, that when he finished, he found his stomach wasn't satisfied. But he couldn't eat anymore, especially since Yugi's grandfather was ill. As he made his way back to the sleeping quarters, he realised just how much he took for granted and how much he missed his home…

Atemu leaned against the wall and watched as Yugi's grandfather breather deeply in his sleep. Yugi had been so kind and understanding when that had swapped last night. He had really gone out of his way in helping Atemu, and how did the God's repay him? By making his grandfather ill. No kind soul, especially Yugi's, should be put through that kind of torture.

_'As soon as I get back to the palace,' _he thought, _'I'm sending someone to cure him. Yugi and his grandfather shouldn't suffer like this.'_

Taking one last glance out the small window towards the palace, Atemu walked out the door, ready to experience the working life of a peasant.

As he looked out onto the dusty street, once again forgetting which way to go, he figured he should follow the small crowd heading towards the outer part of the city. After all, these people were dressed like himself and were all talking about building some sort of temple.

Walking through the many different streets and alleyways was confusing for someone whom had lived inside a palace their whole life, so he made sure to make mental notes about which way he had to go to get back to Yugi's house. Unfortunately, various shouts and cries from behind him were rather distracting.

He continued to walk with the crowd, picking up a little speed to try and escape from the shouting. Unfortunately the shouting seemed to be getting nearer and louder. The voices were shouting out a name now, even though it sounded familiar, Atemu couldn't quite place where he knew it from. He soon turned the last corner and let out a small gasp at the sight before him. Sure, the Palace of the Pharaoh's was an amazing monument, as were the Great Pyramids. But there was something about seeing so many people coming together to build this amazing building that was so…amazing…

Atemu was so amazed and absorbed in his own thoughts, he failed to notice two people walk up to him. It was only when one when one of them placed a hand on his shoulder that Atemu jumped and came back to earth. He turned around to see two teenagers, roughly his age, staring down at him.

"Are you alright Yugi?" asked the first guy. He was slightly taller than the second person, and had brown, pyramid shaped hair and a deep voice. "Didn't you hear us calling you?"

Atemu stood there, confused for a moment until he remembered that he was suppose to be Yugi. It looked like the plan was working.

"I'm sorry," he apologised. "I was probably daydreaming, err…Tristan." He hoped he'd got the name the right way round. Luckily, it looked like he did since 'Tristan' did not question him. "Have you been calling long?"

"Only through the entire city!" Tristan looked at the guy next to him. "Right Joey?"

Atemu looked up at the person named Joey. He had wild blonde hair and was also slightly taller than himself. Unfortunately, unlike Tristan whom was smiling, Joey seemed to be eyeing Atemu suspiciously, as if knowing something was wrong. Atemu shifted, feeling uncomfortable.

"Earth to Joey? Hello?"

Joey snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Tristan. "Huh? Oh, yeah, right…" He looked back down at 'Yugi'. "You seem…different," he finally said after a short pause.

Atemu looked away and shifted again. Now he was in for it. Joey would figure out that he and Yugi had swapped, he'd be reported, he and Yugi would be in trouble, and then…no, that was too horrible to think about…

It was a good thing that Tristan was there.

"Aww, come on man!" he said, slapping 'Yugi' on the back. "You know he's just tired from yesterday. That's why we went round and looked after his grandpa last night."

Joey looked down at 'Yugi', then back at Tristan. Maybe he was right. Maybe Yugi was tired. He sighed deeply.

"Maybe you're right Tristan."

"Of course I am! When have I ever been wrong?" Joey said nothing and sweat dropped. Tristan gave a nervous laugh and quickly turned to 'Yugi'. "So Yug', what exactly happened yesterday?"

But 'Yugi', or Atemu depending on your point of view, didn't hear him. He was quite some distance away now, walking towards a poor elderly man, whom was being beaten and whipped by one of the many guards. When Joey and Tristan saw where 'Yugi' was heading, they ran to catch up with him, shouting at him to stop, but he either didn't hear them, or chose to ignore them.

"Damn you lowly peasants!" shouted the guard at the poor man. "You don't deserve to live!"

The whip whacked against the man's back, causing him to cry out in pain. Atemu's anger boiled as the whipping became heavier. He clenched his fists in an attempt to control his emotions. He dare he! How dare a man treat another human being like this! It was disgusting! It made him sick! And it had to stop…

"Please…have mercy…" the old man begged as he tried to stand up. The blood from his wounds dripped down his back onto the sand.

"Too late!" shouted the guard angrily. He held the whip up, ready to strike. The old man help up his arms to protect himself from the blow…but it never came.

The guard turned around, pissed off at whoever dared to stop him, and was met by the angry purple eyes of a teen with tri-coloured hair. The guard froze for a moment, fearing it was the Prince, before realizing that this teen was dressed just like the other peasants. It was just a coincidence that he happened to look like the Prince.

"What do you think you're doing you bastard?" he spat, yanking the whip from the teen's hands.

"How dare you treat an innocent man this way!" Atemu shouted, staring straight into the eye of the guard. The guard started back, but flinched slightly. The eyes of his opponent bore nothing but hatred and disgust. "You should be punished for your actions, and I'll make sure you do!" Atemu clenched his teeth, whispering in an angry whisper the last few words.

"Oh yeah?" laughed the guard, trying to gain control. "And who do you think you are? The Prince of Egypt?"

"The one and only."

The guard gripped the whip in his hand tighter. How dare this lowly peasant lie to him!

"LIES!" he yelled. He held the whip above his head. Atemu flinched slightly, but stood his ground. "How _dare _you lie to me! You'll pay, you insignificant little bug!"

The guard brought the whip down onto Atemu, but once again, the blow never came, for he immediately stopped at the sound of someone shouting in their direction.

"Yugi! There you are!"

As quick as a flash, two more teens were standing in between himself and the weird, purple eyed, tri-coloured hair teen whom he assumed was this so called 'Yugi'. One had wild blonde hair, and the other had triangular brown hair. What was up with these kid's hairstyles?

"What in the name of Ra-"

"I'm so sorry sir," spoke the blonde teen. "We hope he wasn't too much trouble."

"What are you on about?"

"Our friend," said the brunette, "had to work outside the palace yesterday and he hasn't quite recovered yet from the work."

"We think his brain was…er…affected by Ra," the blonde added. He began to push 'Yugi' away from the guard. "C'mon Yug, let's get you in some shade with some water."

"Joey?" Atemu protested. "What are you doing?" I'm fine! Let me-" but his protests were soon stopped by Joey placing his hand over his mouth.

The guard watched them go, baffled by what had just happened. He was so baffled, he forgot all about the old man, whom had disappeared.

"Kaiba's not going to like this…"

I-

Once Joey and Tristan were sure they were away from any guards, of other people for that matter, they released 'Yugi', sighing heavily and wiping the sweat from their forehead. They were glad _that_ was over with.

Atemu, however, felt it was far from over.

"What do you think you're doing?" he yelled, outraged

"Us!" Joey yelled back. "What about you?"

"I was trying to help that old man! You could've helped me!"

"Yugi, you _know_ we're not allowed to interfere! If we do, we could be sentenced to death, or worse!"

Atemu bit his lip and bent his head. Now he remembered. Yugi had told him about that, but he had either forgotten, or ignored his words…

flashback-

_"There's something else that you need to remember, something very important."_

_Atemu turned his head from where he sat on the floor to face Yugi, whom was sitting next to him._

_"Oh? And what would that be?"_

_"It's just, everyday when we work, the guards 'punish' us for making mistakes, as you can see from my back. Promise me, if you see anyone getting punished, whatever you do, _don't _interfere."_

_"OK, but why not?"_

_"You don't want to know. Just promise me that you won't interfere."_

_"You have my word…"_

end flashback-

He had promised Yugi he wouldn't interfere, he had given his word, and his word was his bond. And what had he just done? He'd broken his promise. He felt sick with guilt.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I just wanted to help."

"We know you did Yug'," said Tristan softly, placing a hand on Atemu's shoulder for comfort. "We all know how you feel." Atemu said nothing. He continued to stare at the ground. Tristan felt sorry for him. "Listen, you go and get ready for work. I need to talk to Joey for a minute."

Like a small child, Atemu obeyed and walked into the 'building site'. Once Tristan was sure 'Yugi' had gone, he turned to face Joey, who was still in a bad mood.

"You didn't have to be so hard on Yugi, you know," he said, crossing his arms.

"That's not Yugi," Joey said blankly.

"What?"

"And if it _is _him, there's something seriously wrong with him."

"What are you on about now?" Tristan sighed, rubbing his forehead. This wasn't the first time Joey had had crazy ideas.

"You know that guy we bumped into yesterday? On the way to Yugi's house?"

"Yeah, what about him?"

"Well, he said Yugi was whipped on the back yesterday."

"And your point is?"

"Do you see any whip marks on his back?"

Tristan looked behind him at 'Yugi', whom had his back to them. He gave a small gasp. Joey was right, there were no marks.

"Not only that," Joey continued after seeing the look on Tristan's face, "haven't you noticed that Yugi looks and acts…differently?"

Tristan shot another glance at 'Yugi'. "You're…right…" he said, a little surprised that he was actually agreeing with Joey.

"Listen," said Joey walking away slightly. "I was gonna go up to the palace later to ask for some advice from the Gods about my sister, Serenity. You know she's not feeling too good. Well, what if I ask about Yugi?" He turned around to face Tristan. "What if I ask them if they know why Yugi is acting so strange, if that's even Yugi."

"I guess you could give it a shot. You want me cover for you?"

"Please." He quickly looked at 'Yugi' again and sighed deeply. "Keep an eye on him, OK?"

"No problem."

After a quick goodbye between the two friends, Jeoy disappeared towards the palace. After watching him leave, Tristan made his way over to 'Yugi', who seemed very interested in the clay bricks drying out in the heat. Not for the first time today, Tristan sighed.

It was going to be a long day…

I-

To say that Atemu found the work hard was the understatement of the millennium. Today, the large group of slaves that he and Tristan were with had to carry the dried bricks from where they had been left to dry, to where the temple was being built. Apparently, according to Tristan's moaning, this was one of the more harder jobs for a slave.

Atemu's back ached after carrying the first few bricks, and his hands became sore from the rough edges. His skin burned as the fireball in the sky burned down on him. It seemed that Ra was not happy with him today. But no matter how much pain his body was faced with, he made sure he never made a mistake, no matter how big or small, for he did not want to be punished like Yugi had been yesterday.

Atemu found that whenever they were allowed a break, he would rush to the nearest bit of shade, and down gallons of water. He was surprised that Tristan and the others didn't act like this.

_'I guess I shouldn't be surprised,' _he thought. _'They do this everyday of their lives. They are used to his, where as I am not. How does someone like Yugi cope with this?'_

Throughout the say, Atemu did not pretend not to notice Joey's disappearance. Countless times he had asked Tristan where Joey was and what was taking him so long. But every time he got the same answer:

"I don't know."

Finally, as Ra began to disappear from the sky, the slaves were sent home. Atemu, sore from head to foot, quickly said goodbye to Tristan and made his way back to Yugi's home, thankful that he remembered the way.

Tristan watched him leave, and once he was sure 'Yugi' was gone, made his own way home, until someone started calling his name.

He turned around and saw a tired looking Joey running towards him.

"Joey! It's about time you got back!"

"Sorry," Joey apologised when he reached Tristan. "You wouldn't believe how many people were there."

"So, what happened?"

"Aww man, it was unbelievable! When I got there, I saw that he Priestess Ishizu, the one with the Millennium Necklace, was the one who communicated with the Gods and passed on their messages. But she wasn't alone; the Prince of Egypt was there."

"Prince Atemu!"

"Yup, and you'll never believe who he looked like."

"Who?"

"I'll get to that in a minute. Once I'd finished telling them our little 'problem' with Yugi, Ishizu was about to tell me something, when the Prince jumped in and stopped her. Then _he _gave me the message instead of _her_!"

"Really what did he say?"

"I'm not sure exactly, but he said something like 'people have secrets they do not wish to share, but in time he will trust you and reveal his secret'"

"Weird…"

"Yeah I know. But the way he was looking at me, I was sure…but it couldn't be him…but he looked so much like-"

"WHO!"

Joey looked up at Tristan and uttered a single word.

"Yugi."

I-

Atemu, after taking more than a few wrong turns, finally made it back to Yugi's house, the symbol of the turtle clearly shown by the light of the setting sun. But as he was about to walk in, he caught sight of his hands. They were sore and dirty. The rest of his body was no different.

"I need a bath," he said to himself, and began to make his way to the river. He noticed there was no bath in the Moto house, and figured Yugi bathed in the clean water of the river.

He soon arrived, and after making sure no one was around, he slipped out of his tunic and sandals, and slowly slipped into the cool water. His body welcomed the sensations of the cool water flowing over his body, cleaning the dirt and healing his wounds. He felt at peace. But this peace did not last long.

As he looked up at the darkening sky, his thoughts once again came to his father. He missed him so much, and did not want him to die. He was the only real family he had left. Sure, Ishizu and Téa were like sisters to him, but his mother had died long ago, and he had always been close to his father. He self-consciously rubbed the back of his neck. He was still not use to being free from the Millennium Puzzle, and he hoped he would never get used to this freedom.

Soon, his body began to shiver as the water's temperature became too cold for him. He slipped back out the water, dressing in his tunic and sandals once again, before making his way back to the Moto's household.

When he returned, he noticed the lamps had been lit. He shrugged this off, thinking Joey or Tristan had probably popped round or something like that. But as he walked into the house/hut, he wondered; why hadn't they stayed?

_'I'd better check on Yugi's grandfather,' _he though, slightly panicking.

He walked into the sleeping quarters and got quite a shock. There, sitting up in his bed, staring at him with purple eyes, was Yugi's grandfather. A little pale, yes, but wide awake and alert.

Atemu swallowed hard. This would be his true test in pretending to be Yugi. But although Yugi said his grandfather was a kind person, his eyes did not look kind or welcoming.

_'Well, here goes…' _He walked up to the old man. He felt the sweat trickle down his face.

"Grandfather! What are you doing up?" Atemu asked, trying his best to sound like Yugi.

Yugi's grandfather didn't answer. He continued to stare at Atemu.

"Come on, let's get you back to bed."

"…"

"Grandfather?"

"You're…not…my…grandson," he spoke quietly but strongly. He may be weak, but he wasn't fooled by this boy. This was not Yugi.

"What?" Atemu began to panic. The old man knew he wasn't Yugi.

"You're not Yugi."

"What are you talking about? Of course I'm Yu-"

"No! You are someone else. Yugi is different from you, and you are different from him. And Yugi never calls me 'grandfather'"

Atemu looked away slightly. He had been figured out, by the one person that knew Yugi the most. This was it, this was the end. Soon he would be back at the palace…

"Tell me, who are you?"

Atemu sighed and looked down at the floor, unable to face Yugi's grandfather. There was no point in lying now.

"I am…Atemu, Prince of Egypt and son of Pharaoh Akunumkanon."

There was no change in the expression on the old man's face. "Why are you here? Where is Yugi?"

"Last night, Yugi and I met by chance. When I saw how alike we looked, I had the crazy idea that we could switch and lives each other's lives. Yugi did not like the idea at first." He paused before continuing. "All my life I have longed to be free from the palace, to live the life of a normal person. I told this to Yugi, and he agreed to switch. He trusted me with his life, and I trust him."

He looked up at the old man and noticed his began to soften.

"How long is this 'switch' due to last?"

"A week."

"And Yugi is safe in the palace?"

"I have told him all that he needs to know. If he follows my instructions, then yes, he is safe." There was a slight pause. Atemu felt heart beat quicken.

Finally, Yugi's grandfather sighed, and smiled at Atemu.

"If Yugi trusts you, then I trust you."

"Thank you, Mr Moto!"" Atemu said, beaming.

"Please, while you are here, call me Solomon. But when you're talking about me to someone, just call me what Yugi has told you to call me. And whilst you're living here with me, I might as well help you to be more like Yugi, so no one else will figure you out!"

"Really?"

Solomon nodded in agreement.

"Thank you…er…grandfather."

"First lesson," said Solomon, "Yugi never ever calls me grandfather. It's too formal. He always calls me 'grandpa'. Second…"

As Solomon continued to teach Atemu how to be more like Yugi, Atemu listened carefully, not wanting to miss anything. But as he listened, a though came into his mind…

…Was Yugi really safe, or had he been discovered as well?"…

To be continued…

I-

Please R&R! I'll update as soon as my exams are over!


	6. A Prince Named Yugi

Yeah, I know I said that I wouldn't update 'til June, but you gotta admit that cliff-hanger was a little…stupid. So I thought I'd write the next chapter before I go back to school and before the revision sessions begin (oh joy…).

Thank you so much **Green Phantom Queen** for reviewing. I'm glad someone likes this story!

_'Thoughts'_

"Speaking"

**Remember: **In Ancient Egypt, the tunics that the men wore were a bit like skirts, so basically, they were topless. This is an important factor for this story, especially in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! and I do not own the Prince and the Pauper

I-

The Pharaoh and the Pauper

Chapter 6: A Prince Named Yugi

I-

Yugi searched his mind in hope of finding a word that perfectly described the view in front of him. He could only find one that came close enough…

"Wow…"

What else could he say? He had lived in the city all his life, and now here he was, standing on a balcony in the middle of the Palace of the Pharaoh's, watching Ra light up the city before him as he rose in the sky. Yugi watched in silence as the bright rays shone down onto the buildings below him, giving off a soft glow. It was amazing, and Atemu got to see this everyday…

So why did he want to leave?

When Yugi had woken up that morning, he had momentarily forgotten where he was. He was surprised to find himself lying in a magnificent bed, with golden furniture around him, and an amazing view from the balcony, until he remembered that this all belonged to Atemu. He remembered what had happened yesterday: working near the palace, being sent to Atemu's chamber, meeting Atemu himself and swapping lives, it's just didn't feel real to him. It felt like this was all a dream. How was it possible for a Prince and a peasant to look so alike anyway? And would they really be able to live each other's lives?

Yugi sighed heavily, his mind filled with so many questions that remained unanswered. Atemu had everything: a safe home, food on the table everyday, wealth, friends; so why did he want to leave it all behind and life the boring life of a peasant, if only for a week?

But then Yugi remembered something Atemu had said last night. When they had first met. Atemu had mentioned that he felt trapped inside the palace. He had never been outside the palace walls. And as Yugi stared at the city below him, it looked so welcoming and inviting, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Atemu, for he realised now what he meant. Even though he had been in that city for 16 years, as he watched it from the balcony, he couldn't help but feel an urge to jump over the walls and escape into the city…but there was no way that was going to happen, because 1) the walls were about 15 foot high and 2) Yugi had to stay here and pretend to be the Prince.

He reached up and loosened the cloak slightly that hung round his neck and flowed down his back. Atemu had told Yugi countless times last night that it was important for Yugi to wear this cloak, so that it hid the scars on his back. If someone saw them, the whole plan would be ruined. After all, how many Princes had whip marks on their back? But although Yugi didn't mind wearing the wonderful clothes Atemu had given him, he couldn't help but wonder why the cloak was made out of such a heavy material. Not only did it feel uncomfortable and itchy around his neck, he found himself feeling just a little too hot.

As Ra continued to rise into the morning sky, Yugi found himself fiddling with the Millennium Puzzle around his neck. He had expected it to be heavier, since it was made out of gold, and he expected the leather strap to dig into his neck. But when Atemu had given the sacred item to him last night, he found that these things did not occur. And as he stared into the eye on the front, he found himself longing for Atemu to come back, for the Millennium Puzzle did not belong to him. He did not know how to use its powers. Not only that, but he was starting to miss his grandfather.

_'Maybe it won't be as bad I think it will,' _Yugi thought. _'After all, it's only for one week. I just hope grandpa will be alright without me. Atemu said he'd take care of him for me, and I trust him, like he trusts me. I just have a bad feeling that something bad will-'_

KNOCK KNOCK!

Yugi turned around at the sound of someone knocking at the door. He swallowed. Well, this was it. It was time to be a Prince.

"Come-er, I mean…you may enter," he quickly corrected himself. He could feel the sweat trickle down his face.

The heavy door opened, giving loud creak. Yugi heard someone enter the room. He looked up…and smiled when he saw whom it was. She smiled back at him, and began to walk over, her blue eyes sparking in the light, her short brown hair swaying from side to side with each footstep. She was carrying a tray full of food. There was enough food to feed Yugi and his grandfather for a whole week! Yugi felt himself drool, and quickly wiped away the saliva before Téa, the only person Yugi recognised around here, could see it.

"Good morning Atemu," she greeted, placing the food down. "I see you're up early."

Yugi looked around the room, expecting her to be talking to someone else, before realising that she thought _he_ was Atemu. It looked like the plan was working after all.

"Err, yeah…" said Yugi. He deepened his voice slightly, trying to sound more like Atemu. "I couldn't sleep."

"Again? Atemu, have you been having those nightmares again?"

"Err…yes?" Atemu didn't mention anything about nightmares. What else was Yugi suppose to say? He sat down on the bed, next to where Téa had placed the food.

"Atemu," she sighed, sitting next to Yugi. She rubbed his back in comfort. Yugi winced as her hand passed over his wounds, but he quickly hid his pain. "You know your father's illness is not your fault. And, when the time does come, I'm sure you'll make a great pharaoh."

Yugi didn't say anything. He didn't realise Atemu was so worried about being the pharaoh. Was that why he wanted to escape? Was that why he swapped with Yugi, to run away from it all?

_'No. He'll be back. He promised me he would, and I trust him.'_

Téa saw that 'Atemu' wasn't going to answer any time soon. That was so like him, always keeping things to himself. She wished he would tell her what was bugging him; after all, they were best friends. They could tell each other anything. But she didn't want to intrude in his personal business. Instead, she got up, picked up the tray of food that lay on the bed, walked back to her seat and held up the food to 'Atemu'.

"Come on, eat," she said, holding up a large piece of bread. "It'll make you feel better."

Yugi looked at Téa, then the bread, then at the food, then back at Téa as if saying 'is this really all for me?' When Téa nodded at time, encouraging him to eat (though Yugi swore she read his mind), he beamed and starting scoffing down the food in front of him.

Téa laughed as 'Atemu' downed the food. She'd never seen him this hungry before. It was rather amusing. It was as if he'd never see food before. But as she continued to watch him, she noticed that 'Atemu' seemed…different. It was the only word she could think of.

"You seem…different, Atemu," she said, deciding to share her thoughts.

Yugi coughed as he chocked on the fruit he was eating. He swiftly recovered, swallowing the fruit before looking up at the servant girl. He was afraid this would happen. "Different?"

"Yeah." She began to scan 'Atemu' over, looking for anything unusual. Yugi felt uncomfortable as she did. "I'm not sure what, but there's something different about you this morning."

"Err…" Yugi stuttered. He had to think of something, quickly. Otherwise Téa would figure everything out, and then he'd be in a how load of trouble. "It's…er…probably because of…er…my lack of sleep! Yeah, that's it!" He laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.

Téa eyed him suspiciously, but decided to let it pass.

"I guess you're right," she sighed, standing up. She picked up the empty food tray. "Well, since you're finished, I'd better be off. See you later!"

Yugi watched Téa walk away. "Bye!" he said, just before she walked out the door. She smiled before closing the heavy door behind her.

Once Yugi was sure she was gone, he flopped onto his bed. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "That…was a close one."

"Oh, and one more thing," said Téa suddenly, popping her head round the door. Yugi jumped up in surprise. "Don't be late for your lessons! You know how much Kaiba hates you being late. Bye!" And with that, Téa disappeared once again, but this time, she didn't come back.

When Yugi was 100 sure she was really gone this time, he flopped back down on his bed. He'd forgotten about his lessons with High Priest Seto Kaiba.

"How can things get any worse?"

I-

He shouldn't have said that. He should not have said that, for things DID get worse.

A lot worse

After Téa left, it had taken him almost an hour to find the room in which his lessons were to take place. He had entered countless rooms, either to find that they were empty, or they were occupied by the many servants and guards that worked in the palace. In the end, one of the guards had to show him the way. Frankly, it was embarrassing. A Prince should know where his lessons were held. But Yugi was no Prince; he was just pretending to be one.

When he finally did arrive, Priest Seto was furious. But his anger soon turned into surprise. When he had asked the Prince what had taken him so long, instead of expecting the usual answer where Atemu replies with a witty comment making fun of Seto, the answer he got was "I'm sorry" and "I won't do it again."

To say that Seto was surprised by this answer was an understatement. The Prince was never kind to him. Who could blame him? After all, they hated each other's guts. So why was the Prince being so kind to him now? Was his father's illness affecting him somehow? Or was there something else?

That morning, Yugi found the lessons rather difficult. Seto had set him the task of reading some text. Unfortunately for Yugi, he couldn't read it, since only important and powerful people, such as Atemu, were taught these scriptures. He tried his best, managing to read a few words here and there, but it was no use. He couldn't understand any of it.

Seto noticed this, and as 'Atemu' continued to try and read, his patience worn thin. Atemu, even though Seto hated to admit it, was very intelligent and could read easily, so why was he finding this difficult? And just why did Atemu look different?

After a while, Seto gave up and sent 'Atemu' back to his room, saying that he needed to see someone. Once he was sure the young Prince was gone, he left the classroom and made his way to the courtyard.

_'I just don't get it,'_ he thought as he slowly wondered around the courtyard. His grip tightened on the Millennium Rod in his hand. _'Just why is the Prince acting this way? Not that I'm complaining. I always enjoy seeing the little worm squirm. But, he was fine yesterday…until that little peasant got involved. Wait a minute…' _He stopped at the sight of the old temple, the one that had been destroyed during the Shadow Game. '_That peasant, the one that looked exactly like the Prince, he was working here yesterday, and Atemu had called for him to be sent to his room. Could it be? Would Atemu be that stupid? There's only one way to find out.'_

Seto immediately turned round and made his way back into the palace, knocking any servants and guards that got in his way. He quickly made his way up the stone stairs and down the corridor, until he came to Atemu's room. He stopped outside the door. It was slightly open, and he could hear someone inside. He peeped through the gap, and saw 'Atemu' inside.

'Atemu' was pacing up and down the room, looking troubled. He was muttering something that to Seto sounded like "how could I be so stupid?" and "Atemu's not gonna like this". He had removed his cloak, which now lay on the bed. The Millennium Puzzle swung as 'Atemu' continued to pace up and down. He soon stopped. He ran his hand through his hair, and turned round so that his back was to the door. That's when Seto saw it.

The whip marks.

_'So, Atemu was dumb enough to switch places with a lowly peasant. How stupid of him…and yet, maybe not. This could be just what I'm looking for! Yes! This is perfect!'_

Seto stood up, straightening himself up, before knocking on the door.

KNOCK KNOCK!

Yugi spun round. "Shit!" he cursed, as he quickly put the cloak back on. "You may enter!"

Seto smiled as he entered the room. He bowed as the so-called Prince.

"I do hope I'm not interrupting anything, your _highness,_" he said, a little too enthusiastic on the 'highness'

"N-not at all, Priest Seto," Yugi answered, trying to sound as tough as he could.

"I just thought that you should know, you will not be having lessons with me this afternoon, for I have to…take care of a few things." Yugi sighed in relief. Seto's smile only grew bigger. "So, instead of having your normal lessons, you will be spending the after noon with Priestess Ishizu, in the main hall. It is her turn to help the people of Egypt today. I thought this would be good experience for you." Seto heard the boy gulp, loudly. _'Perfect.'_

"I-is that all, Seto?"

"Yes," Seto bowed again. "I will leave you know. Ishizu expects you in the main hall soon."

Seto exited the room, closing the door behind him. He walked down the corridor, a new plan forming in his head. _'By the end of the week, I will have my revenge. Then, I'll finally claim what should have been mine from the beginning.'_

His menacing laugh echoed through the palace.

I-

Yugi walked into the small room located behind throne room, thankful that he found it all on his own. He saw a woman waiting for him. She looked a few years older than him, and wore a long white gown, with golden brackets and bands on her arms. Yugi could tell from her clothes that she was important, like a Priestess. She had long, jet black hair and blue eyes. Around her neck was the Millennium Necklace.

_'This must be Ishizu,' _Yugi thought as he approached her. _'She doesn't look as mean as Kaiba, hank Ra!'_

"I see you're on time for once," Ishizu spoke. He turned around and began to walk towards some silk curtains. "Come."

Yugi obeyed and followed, not saying a word. Ishizu soon stopped just in front of the curtains. Yugi came to her side.

"Now, I know Seto expects you to stay hidden behind these curtains, but I believe that you should see your people. So, you will be seated next to me, but you will not speak unless I tell you to, is that clear?"

"Yes Ishizu"

Ishizu looked down at 'Atemu'. "I know that seems cold of me, but I don't want a repeat of what happened with Seto yesterday, OK?"

Yugi looked up at Ishizu. He was right, she was kinder than Seto. "It's alright Ishizu, I understand." Unfortunately, he didn't. What did Atemu do yesterday with Seto? Was it really that bad?

Ishizu smiled. "Good. Now, lets go."

Ishizu lifted up the curtains and walked through. Yugi followed her into the main hall, and was amazed at the sight before him. Hundreds of people were lining up, waiting for the Priestess to help them. Most of them were peasants, but Yugi spotted a few guards from the temples, and a few farmers. And then there was a man near the middle of the line that looked awfully familiar to him-

"Atemu," Ishizu called

Yugi looked to his right saw Ishizu sitting down in one of two large throne-like chairs, waiting for 'Atemu'. Yugi quickly walked over and sat in the empty chair next to her. Once he was sitting down, Ishizu called the first person up.

Yugi watched as Ishizu dealt with the public, impressed at her skills. She spoke to each person in a kind voice, and listened to each of their problems. Once they had finished explaining, she used her Millennium Necklace to either look into the future, or to help communicate with the Gods. She would then advise the people, telling them what they can do to help themselves. The people were very grateful and always left in a happier mood than they were in when they arrived.

But although Yugi was fascinated by Ishizu's skills, his attention soon turned to man he had seen earlier. As the queue became shorter and shorter and the man came closer, Yugi began to identify him. He had wild blonde hair, was pretty tall yet still quite young. Yugi guessed his age to be 16 or 17. It wasn't until said man was making his way up the steps to speak to Ishizu that Yugi finally realised who it was.

_'Joey! What's he doing here? Oh, I hope nothing's happened back home.'_

Joey kneeled in front of Ishizu and 'Atemu'. Yugi wanted to run, run away before Joey saw it was him. But he couldn't. If he left, people would start to ask questions. Besides, the guards would just catch him and bring him back in moments. Instead, he just sat quietly and watched Joey, hoping he wouldn't recognise him.

Joey bowed his head in respect at the Priestess and the Prince, before raising his head. Now, he wasn't completely stupid, as everybody thought he was. He noticed that Prince Atemu looked a lot like Yugi, and he knew that there was no way this could be Yugi, since Yugi was with Tristan back at the 'building site'.

So why did he have the strangest feeling that this _was_ Yugi?

"And what may your problem be young man?" Ishizu asked

Joey looked away from the Prince up at Ishizu. He bowed his head again, before speaking.

"Priestess Ishizu," he said, still kneeling on the floor, "please help me. My problem is this: my best friend is acting strangely, and I don't know why. I call his name, but he does not answer. When he looks at me, it is as if I am a stranger. And he does things that us peasants are forbidden to do. I feel there is something wrong with him, and I want to help, but I don't know how. Please, tell me what to do."

Yugi swallowed, hard. It seemed Atemu was having as hard a time as he was. But what did Joey mean by 'he does things that us peasants are forbidden to do'? Has Atemu blown his cover?

No, he couldn't have, otherwise the guards would be on him like vultures are to a dead carcass.

Yugi looked over at Ishizu. Once again, she was using her Millennium Necklace, but for what? For communicating with the Gods, or for seeing into the future?

_'If she's looking into the future, I really hope she's not seeing me and Atemu swapping places at the end of the week.'_

"Hmm…interesting," Ishizu spoke after a while. "The Gods have given me an answer to your problem. They suggest talking to your friend-"

"NO!"

A silence filled the room, and all eyes turned on 'Atemu', whom was now standing up. Yugi swallowed as he felt all the eyes on him. He'd done it now.

"I'm sorry your highness," said Ishizu, trying to hide her shock. "Is there something you would like to say?"

Yugi looked at Ishizu, then down at Joey. He had to think of something quickly.

Luckily for him, an idea always seemed to pop up at the right time.

"Err…yes. As a matter of fact, there is something I'd like to say."

"Proceed then, your highness."

"It's just, some people have secrets they do not wish to share."

'_Like me!' _

"But I'm sure in time, if you show him that you are trustworthy, he will trust you, and reveal his secret."

The silence that filled was so tense; you could hear a pin drop and it would sound like a large bell. Ishizu soon broke this silence by clearing her throat.

"Well said, my Prince." She turned to face the peasant kneeling in front of them. "I hope this has helped you young man."

"What?" Joey blinked. He torn his eyes from the Prince and looked back up at the Priestess. "Oh, yes. Thank you."

Joey bowed once again before leaving the main hall, but not before having one last look at 'Atemu'. _'Wait until Tristan hears about this.'_

Once Yugi saw Joey leave the hall, he sat back down in his seat. He sighed and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He was starting to get sick of these close calls.

Ishizu looked at 'Atemu'. Something had happened to him, and she was going to find out what.

I-

"What a day," Yugi sighed. He looked out over the now darkened city. Ra had set long ago, covering Egypt in a sheet of darkness.

After the incident with Joey, Ishizu had announced that the Gods were tired and needed to rest, thus sending the people home. The rest of the afternoon was spent performing all the different rituals Atemu was expected to do, since his father was too ill to take part himself. Afterwards, Yugi had enjoyed a relaxing bath to cleanse himself, before Téa brought up the evening meal. This time though, instead of eating it all by himself, Yugi had shared his meal with Téa. After all, he had to thank her some how for helping him with his injuries last night.

Not that he told Téa that. He just said he wasn't as hungry as he thought he was, and didn't want the food to be wasted. Besides, Téa looked tired, and could use a break.

Now everyone had turned in for the night, tired from their days work. Everyone except Yugi that is. He couldn't sleep, not when all the events from today were rushing through his mind. So much had happened today, and not all of it was good. He had managed to get lost, made a complete fool of himself, and he almost blew his cover in the main hall. And he was pretty sure that Priest Seto suspected something. Why else would he cancel the rest of the day's lessons? Today was just not his day.

He knew Atemu wasn't having fun. After all, why else would Joey turn up like that? He suspected something, and Yugi couldn't blame him. It was very difficult to pretend to be someone whom you only met the day before.

"Maybe things will get better tomorrow," Yugi said, making his way back to bed. He crawled under the sheets, and closed his eyes. The last thing he remembered was seeing his grandfather's face, before sleep finally found him.

I-

Over the next few days, things began to settle down, and both Yugi and Atemu settled into the routine of their 'new lives'.

Atemu, even though he still wasn't used to working in the heat of the desert, soon got used to working in the 'building site', taking on different jobs each day. He became friends with Joey and Tristan, and even began to joke around with them (even though he had a feeling Joey still suspected something). He also got used to Yugi's daily routine, doing all the chores in the morning and evening without making too many mistakes. Though Atemu knew that this wouldn't have been possible without the help of Yugi's grandfather. And to show his gratitude, he kept his promise to Yugi and continued to take care of Solomon.

Yugi, too, got used to life at the palace. He soon managed to learn Atemu's normal routine, and even remembered where each of his lessons took place, only getting lost a few times. He remembered the names of the different Priests and Priestesses, and the other holders of the Millennium Items. Not only that, but he felt himself become more confident, and wasn't afraid to give out orders when he had too.

Something else that Yugi found was that he soon became good friends with Téa. Over the next few days, he learnt many things about her: how her family had worked in the palace for many generations, how she would love to live outside the palace walls, and how she would love to discover the world. He soon found that Téa was not just another pretty face, she was intelligent and funny too, and his feelings for her began to grow.

At the end of the 4th day, Yugi was in his chamber with Téa. They were discussing Priest Seto. He had not been seen for a few days now and some people were beginning to worry, apart from the people who hated his guts, like themselves. They were just discussing different ways in which he could have been tortured by bandits in the desert, when Ishizu walked in.

"Téa, do you mind if I speak to Atemu alone?" she asked the young girl

"No, not at all," Téa answered. She turned to face 'Atemu'. "We'll finished this later. Bye!" Téa gave a quick bow before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

"So, why do you need to see me Ishizu?" Yugi asked. "Is it about my father."

Ishizu didn't answer. Instead, she walked up to the young man before her and starting circling him, studying him. Yugi just watched her with confused eyes. Just what was she doing?

But all too soon she stopped in front of his, crossing her arms. She didn't look happy.

"So, your name's Yugi." She said

"W-what!" Yugi said, alarmed. "W-what are you talking about Ishizu? It's me, Atemu."

_'This can't be happening!' _Yugi thought, panicking.

"Don't lie to me!" Yugi gulped. In the torchlight, Ishizu looked pretty scary. "I know all about your little swap with Atemu."

"Y-you do? But how?"

Ishizu tapped her Millennium Necklace. "This showed me. I saw when you and Atemu swapped, when you discussed your plan a few nights ago. I have to say, I'm outraged that he's done something as stupid as this," Yugi prepared himself. He had seen Ishizu mad, and it was not a pretty picture. "But, then again, I'm rather impressed that you've lasted this long."

Yugi looked up at the Priestess. Was she praising him? For swapping with Atemu?

"Excuse me?"

Ishizu just laughed. "I've known for quite some time now that you and Atemu had swapped. I started to notice the night after you swapped. You have been acting rather strangely."

"I have?"

"Yup."

"Oh, well that's because-hey, wait a minute. You've known that I've swapped with Atemu, and you didn't help me?"

"Err…yes?" Yugi stared at Ishizu, more than a little annoyed. Ishizu just gave a small laugh. "I thought it was funny! Besides, I wanted to see how long you would last."

"I can tell you that it was NOT funny!"

"Well, I'm here to help you now." Ishizu placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder.

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. I'll help you get through the rest of week, and I'll help you and Atemu switch back. Though don't think he's off the hook. When he gets back here, he's in a lot of trouble."

Yugi just laughed. It seemed that Atemu would be the one to face the 'rath of Ishizu'. He wished him luck.

KNOCK KNOCK!

Yugi looked up at the door. "You may enter!"

The door opened and Téa walked in, but instead of wearing her usual welcoming smile, she looked sad and apprehensive.

"Téa?" Ishizu asked in a motherly voice. "Is something wrong?"

"I…I'm sorry to interrupt," Téa spoke in a quiet voice. She looked down at the floor. "Someone has sent me to collect Atemu. He is needed immediately."

"And who has sent for him?" Ishizu asked

Téa looked up, straight into Yugi's eyes. Yugi saw a tear fall down her cheek.

"Pharaoh Akunumkanon."

I-

To be continued…

I-

And yet another lame ending. Oh well, at least things are starting to get more exciting. Sorry if this chapter seemed rushed. If there are any mistakes, tell me and I'll correct them asap. If not, see you in June/July!


	7. Return

I'M BACK!

Yes, that's right people! I may still be doing my exams, but I thought I'd get this next chapter up, even though it is a little short!

Thanks to these fabulous people for reviewing:

Bishounen Lover 

**Yami's Wife- **considering Yugi and Yami are the main characters in this story, do you actually think I'd kill them? NO WAY! They're way too cute And please keep Bakura under control-he scares me!

Now, lets get on with the story, shall we? There's only a few chapters left, and I've finally gotten to the exciting parts! WOOHOO!

_'Thoughts'_

"Speaking"

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, though I wish I did. Think of the possibilities!

I-

The Pharaoh and the Pauper

Chapter 7: Return

I-

The guards that stood guard at the Palace of the Pharaoh all had different ideas about what had happened to Priest Seto and why he had been missing for the past few days. Some believed he was fed up with the young Prince Atemu and had decided to leave for good, whilst others thought that he was so annoyed this the teasing he received from the prince everyday, he had ridden off somewhere to kill himself to save him from facing more humiliation. One person even believed he had sent himself to the Shadow Realm. But whatever their ideas were, they all agreed on one thing: Priest Seto was gone and he was never coming back…

…So they were very surprised to see him at the gate that lead into the palace just after sunset.

But as they looked down from their posts and saw him enter the courtyard, they saw that he was not alone. Following him, riding black horses and wearing dark tunics, were about thirty other men. They all had weapons with them and looked a great deal stronger than the guards that worked in the palace.

They all swallowed hard when they saw how big they were when they dismounted their horses.

They wondered who they were and why they were here. Had Seto brought them with him? And if so, why? What was he planning?

Priest Seto looked around at his surroundings and he dismounted his horse. Nothing had change, besides the atmosphere. There was a hit of death in the air, as well as sadness.

_'The Pharaoh will soon be dead,' _Seto thought to himself, a cruel smile appearing on his lips. His plan was going well. It was time to start phase two.

He called over to a servant to take his horse to the stables, then turned to face the men he had brought with him. They all looked towards their leader, waiting for their instructions. It had taken him a while, but Seto had managed to assemble and very powerful (if small) army to help him with his plan. All the men in front of him had sworn their alliance to him and would not rest until they saw Priest Seto become Pharaoh Seto.

"My friends!" he announced to them all, "the time has come to put out plans into action. Soon, the true Pharaoh will be on the throne." There was a loud cheer from the men gathered before him.

"You five," Seto said, using his Millennium Rod to point at five men in the front row, "you will come with me. As for the rest of you, you will wait here for my signal. Only then may you may enter the palace. In the mean time, make sure no one in this courtyard leaves. No one else in the palace must know you are here. Understand?"

"YES!" the group answered in unison.

"Good." Seto turned around and headed towards the palace, signalling for the five men he had chosen to follow him. As they made their way up the flight of stairs towards the royal chambers, Seto felt an excitement begin to build up inside him. Ever since discovering the Prince's secret, he had formed a plan that would truly make him Pharaoh of Egypt.

_'Soon, all those years of dreaming will be fulfilled, and all those years of humiliation from the so called Prince won't have been for nothing. By the end of the week, there will be a knew bloodline taking over the reign of the Pharaoh's, and I'll make sure there won't be trace of the old Pharaoh and his son…'_

"I'm coming for you, Yugi…"

I-

To be continued…

I-

Short, I know, but I am still on exams! Please R&R so I know what you think and if you want me to continue with this story. The next chapter will be up in a few weeks!


	8. Confessions

Sorry it's taken me a while to update, but with things that have been going on here in the UK recently I haven't been myself. But I'm OK and I'm back to write the next chapter for all you brilliant people!

Thanks to these wonderful people for reviewing:

**Yami's Wife: **NO! Not Yugi's puppy dog eyes! I can never resist them! Oh please forgive me for making the last chapter so short! And thanks for keeping Bakura under control Yami And is Seto still alive? SO MUCH TO SAY TO YOU! Thank you so much for reviewing! Your reviews get better and better!

**Bishounen Lover: **Téa finds out about the switch very soon…and I love making Seto evil! I don't know why. Anyway, thank you so much for reviewing!

Now, lets get on with the story, shall we?

_'Thoughts'_

"Speaking"

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, though I wish I did. Think of the possibilities!

-I-

The Pharaoh and the Pauper

Chapter 8: Confessions

-I-

Yugi walked quickly to keep up with Ishizu's long strides. He silently cursed his short legs as he jogged to keep up with the tall Priest. It had only been a few minutes since Téa had announced that Pharaoh Akunumkanon wanted to see his son, Prince Atemu. Since Yugi had panicked and frozen on the spot, Ishizu had taken charge. She had instructed Téa to wait outside Atemu's chamber and had insisted that she would take 'Atemu' to the Pharaoh himself. Reluctantly, Téa obeyed and was now waiting outside Atemu's chamber for their return. Ishizu had thanked Téa for delivering the message and disappeared down the hall, Yugi at her side.

Now she and Yugi were walking down one of the many corridors in the palace and were fast approaching the Pharaoh's chamber. Yugi, who at this point had snapped out of his panic state, was now begging Ishizu to turn around.

"Please Ishizu," he begged in a loud whisper. "I can't do this! The moment I walk in there, the Pharaoh will instantly recognise me as not being Atemu, then who knows what will happen! This will never work!"

"…" Ishizu said nothing and just continued walking down the corridor, always looking ahead of her.

"Lets just turn around now while we still have the chance! We can make up some sort of excuse and-"

"Enough!" Ishizu hissed in a loud whisper, stopping suddenly. They were now standing outside the Pharaoh's chamber. Still with her back facing Yugi, Ishizu spoke. "Yugi, when you switched with Atemu, you promised to do whatever he was expected to do as Prince. You gave your word, did you not?"

"Yes, but-"

"No 'but's Yugi." She turned around to face the young teen. "You gave your word to Atemu, as a friend. Are you going to turn your back on him now, when you've come so far?"

Yugi looked down at the floor and exhaled loudly. "No…"

"That's right." Ishizu knelt down and placed a comforting hand on Yugi's shoulder, causing him to look up at her with saddened eyes. "Yugi, I know this may be hard for you, but I know you can do this. You've fooled so many people these last few days, and you can easily convince the Pharaoh that you are his son. The Pharaoh is very ill and may not be able to see or hear as clearly as he used to be. I know that is not a kind thing to say, but it may give you an advantage. Just go in there and listen to him, and then leave. It'll all be over soon, ok?"

"…Yes…"

"Good." Ishizu stood up and placed her hand on the handle. "As soon as you come out, we'll come up with a way to bring Atemu back. Deal?"

"Deal," Yugi nodded. "Thank you Ishizu."

Ishizu smiled at the young teenager, before pushing on the handle. The large wooden door opened with a loud creak. Yugi gulped hard, before slowly making his way into the dark chamber of Pharaoh Akunumkanon. His footsteps echoed in the empty room as he stepped on the hard stone surface. As soon as he was inside, Ishizu closed the door, leaving Yugi alone in the darkness. There was a loud band as the door was closed shut.

Yugi took a moment to look around the room in which he stood. The pitch-black darkness was unnerving. All the windows had been covered with thick black clothes, the door that used to lead to the balcony was boarded up, and the furniture on the room were all covered in the same black material. There was a hit of death in the air that made Yugi feel even more uncomfortable. The only light that shone into the room was being emitted from a small candle placed by the Pharaoh's bed.

Yugi swallowed hard as the fear began to grow inside of him. He rubbed his arms as a chill filled the room.

Suddenly, out of the darkness that surrounded his bed, the Pharaoh spoke.

"Atemu… my son…is that you…?" Pharaoh Akunumkanon asked, his voice weak and almost silent from the illness.

Yugi took a moment before he answered. He did not want to ruin Atemu's plan and have the Pharaoh discover his secret, but he did not want to be punished by the Gods for lying to the Great Pharaoh. Who knows what they would do to him or his grandfather when they saw this peasant lie to a powerful man such as Pharaoh Akunumkanon.

"Actually…sire…I'm not-"

"Come…here…" the Pharaoh interrupted.

Yugi swallowed hard again, before slowly making his way forward to the Pharaoh's bedside, not wanting to disobey the Pharaoh. His heart began to race as he came closer and closer to the large bed. The Pharaoh himself was wrapped under pure white sheets, shivering as the illness consumed him. His face was hidden in the darkness, but Yugi could clearly see his hands by his side. His skin was pale. Yugi stopped a few feet away from the bed.

"Closer…" the Pharaoh asked, wheezing as his breath became shorter and shorter.

As Yugi walked right to the Pharaoh's side, he felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead and under his arms. When he finally stopped by the Pharaoh's side, his heart almost stopped as the Pharaoh's hand came up and suddenly took his own. The Pharaoh held on with all the strength he had, and Yugi couldn't do anything to make him let go.

"Atemu…my son…my time here…is almost over. The Gods…the Gods are calling me…taking me away…"

"No…" Yugi gasped. The Pharaoh was about to die, he knew it! Why wasn't Atemu here? Why did they have to swap when the Pharaoh himself was so ill? This wasn't supposed to happen!

"Atemu…I know…you'll be a Great Pharaoh. You…you're full of courage…and hope. I know that…you'll help save Egypt…from evil…" The grip he had on Yugi's hand tightened as he felt himself become weaker and weaker. He needed to do just one more thing before he went to the next world, and he was determined to do it. "Promise me…promise me that…you'll protect the people…protect the people of Egypt…"

"…" Yugi didn't answer. How could he promise something like that when he wasn't even the Pharaoh's son?

"Promise me!" the Pharaoh desperately shouted.

Yugi winced as he felt the guilt inside him begin to grow. Before he could stop himself, he spoke.

"I promise…"

Pharaoh Akunumkanon sighed in relief. His grip on Yugi's hand began to loosen.

"Thank you…my son…"

Slowly, his hand began to slip away, and Yugi felt his hand grow colder and colder. The candle beside the Pharaoh's bed suddenly went out. Panicking as the hand dropped back onto the bed, Yugi looked at what he could she of the Pharaoh's face. The heavy breathing had stopped, and his chest wasn't moving as it had done before. Panicking and scared, Yugi began to step back away from the Pharaoh's body.

"He's…he's…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Yugi cried out, and bolted for the door. He threw open the heavy doors, scaring Ishizu as he did so. He crashed into her as he tried to get away.

"Yugi, what's wrong?" Ishizu asked in desperation, before she looked into the room and saw the Pharaoh's still body on the bed. She gasped at the sight before her.

"Pharaoh Akunumkanon…he's…dead…"

Hearing those words, Yugi released himself from Ishizu's grip and blindly ran down the corridor as the tears filled his eyes. Ishizu, quickly recovering from the shock of the death of the Great Pharaoh, started to run after Yugi.

"Yugi! Wait! Come ba-" She suddenly stopped as her Millennium Necklace began to glow, and a vision of the future appeared before her. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the images appear before her.

"Oh no, this cannot be!" She exclaimed.

She immediately forgot about Yugi and made her way down a second corridor, towards the courtyard.

-I-

Téa sighed for the fifth time as she leaned against the stonewall. It had been a while since Ishizu had taken Atemu to see Pharaoh Akunumkanon, and they were taken way too long.

_'I sure hope nothing bad has happened…' _she thought to herself.

In the distance, Téa heard a noise. Shouting, and footsteps. The footsteps sounded heavy and fast, like someone was running down the corridor. As Téa stood up and looked down the corridor, she saw a shadow running towards her. It only took her a moment to recognise the strange tri-coloured hair of her childhood friend.

"Atemu?" She asked in confusion.

As she looked closer at her friend, she saw that he looked different. She was surprised she had not seen it before. There was something about him that was definitely…different.

_'Maybe it's because…he's crying?' _She thought as she saw the tears slowly falling down the teen's cheek as he ran towards her.

"Atemu? What's wrong? Did something happen?"

But Téa got no answer. 'Atemu' just ran past her and into his room, slamming the door so hard that it bounced out of the doorframe and remained opened. Téa, shocked at Atemu's actions, looked inside the room.

Yugi continued to run until he suddenly stopped by Atemu's four-poster bed. He had barely noticed Téa outside due to his emotions. His shoulders shook as his emotions became out of control in his mind. He felt so many; sadness, guilt, anger, he just didn't know what to do with himself. He suddenly punched one of the posts, as anger was the first to grow. As the wood slightly split from the pressure from his fist, a few splinters cut his hand and small trickles of bloody ran down his hand.

Anger soon changed to grief. His shoulders were shaking uncontrollably now as a stream of tears began to fall down his cheeks.

_'I can't do this anymore, I can't!' _he thought to himself as the tears continued to flow. '_I can't continue lying anymore! The Pharaoh his dead, and Atemu must take the throne. Soon people will discover what Atemu and I have done, and then…oh who knows what will happen then!'_

As Yugi was absorbed by his emotions, he failed to notice someone walking up behind him.

"I can't do this anymore…" he said out loud, his voice breaking.

"Yes you can," said a sweet angelic voice.

Yugi immediately stopped crying as two gentle arms wrapped themselves around his body. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a few strands of brown hair.

"Téa?"

"Listen to me," Téa said softly, trying to comfort her friend, "you are not weak. You are a great person, and can accomplish anything you set your mind to. And not matter what happens, I'll always be there for you."

"…" Yugi said nothing. He had a feeling of what was coming next.

Téa continued. "Pharaoh Akunumkanon may be gone from this world, but he will always be in our hearts. He believes in you Atemu, as do we all."

Yugi still said nothing, but the emotions inside him began to grow once again. _'I can't continue lying to her. She doesn't deserve that. This has to end.'_

"I know that you'll be a great Pharaoh, Atemu," Téa finished.

"NO!" Yugi shouted, realising himself of Téa's grip. He had had enough. It was time to tell her the truth.

"Atemu, what-"

"Téa, listen to me," Yugi interrupted a shocked Téa. "There's something I need to tell you."

Téa said nothing and just continued to listen.

Yugi sighed heavily, before he revealed his secret. "I'm not Atemu."

"…What?…" Téa asked in disbelief

"I'm not Prince Atemu," Yugi repeated

There were a few brief silent moments, before Téa spoke.

"Ha-ha, very funny Atemu," she said sarcastically, "but this isn't time for one of your jokes."

"But it's not a joke! It's true!" Yugi pleaded. This was not the reaction he was hoping for.

"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of the Gods. Come on Atemu, I know your father is gone, but this isn't the way you should react."

"But Téa, I'm telling the truth!"

"No you're not! The grief of your father's death and the pressure of becoming Pharaoh is making you act like this." She knelt down and placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "Atemu, if you want to cry again, it's OK."

"I will not cry because I am not Atemu!" Yugi said loudly as he brushed Téa's hand away.

"Yes you are! Stop kidding around!" Téa started to yell as she looked down at the teen before her. She had noticed that Atemu was different, but she had refused to believe it. This was not happening! Atemu was lying!

"No Téa! I'm a peasant from the outskirts of town that just happens to look like Atemu! I can I prove it!" Yugi lifted up the cloak that covered his back and showed Téa the three whip marks on his back.

Téa gasped at the sight before her and stepped back, her hands over her mouth.

After a few moments, Yugi let the cloak drop and turned to face Téa.

"It's me Téa," he said in a soft voice. "I'm Yugi Moto."

-I-

"This cannot be happening…"

Ishizu stopped at the top of the stairs that lead down to the courtyard, unable to believe the sight before her.

There, in the courtyard, were men dressed in black, their horses close by. They had completely taken over the courtyard and part of the palace, and were now holding the Pharaoh's guards and servants as prisoners in a corner. It was chaos. But this was not the sight that surprised her the most.

Climbing up the stairs towards her, with five men behind him, was the last person Ishizu expected to see.

"Priest Seto, how could you?"

The look on Seto's face bore nothing but evil. She knew that Seto hated the Pharaoh and his son, but she did not think he would cause something like this! Instantly, the Millennium Necklace began to glow again, and Ishizu saw where he was heading.

_'I must warn Yugi, for he is in grave danger!'_

Making sure that Seto and his followers didn't see her, she ran back down the corridor towards the room where she knew Yugi would be.

-I-

Téa continued to stare at the boy in front of her in disbelief. In only a few minutes her world had come crashing down around her. For the past few days she had believed that this was Atemu, and that he was slightly different from his usual self because of the stress of his father's illness. She never once thought that this was Yugi, the boy she had helped only days ago, the boy her heart had longed for when she thought he had left.

Yugi felt nervous as Téa continued to stay silent. _'This wasn't what I was hoping for. I'd better talk to her.'_

"Téa," Yugi started to say taking a step forward to the young girl. When she saw Yugi coming towards her, Téa took a step back.

"Téa, please say something."

"…"

"Téa? Please?"

"It's…not true," Téa finally spoke after a long pause, shaking her head. "It can't be…"

"It is Téa," said Yugi in a soft voice, walking towards her. "I'm Yugi. Remember? You helped me out a few nights ago. Don't you remember me?"

"…You can't…be Yugi…" Téa said in a daze

"But I am-"

"NO!" Téa shouted, causing Yugi to stop. He could see how upset this was all making her.

"You can't be, you just can't."

"Téa, please listen to me-"

"No! You're _not_ Yugi!" Tears began to from in the teenager's eyes. "It's impossible! Yugi left that night! He left Atemu, he left the palace…he left me!"

"Téa I didn't leave-"

"You DID! I saw you leave! I watched you leave the palace…" '_And I saw you leave me…'_

Yugi looked up into Téa's teary blue eyes, the eyes that he had grown so found of these past few days. He hated seeing her like this. He hated the fact that he had hurt her so much.

"Téa, just listen to me and I'll explain what happened." He looked up at Téa for a reaction. She said nothing. "That night, after you helped me, Atemu and I saw how alike we look. It was then that he had the idea that we should swap lives-"

"What!" Téa cried in an outburst. "Do you have any idea how stupid that is? What if you got caught? You could have been killed!"

"We knew the risks Téa," Yugi spoke in a calm voice. "We promised that it would only be for a week. I only went along with it because I saw how much Atemu wanted to go outside the palace…and…I…I also wanted…to get to now you, Téa."

Both Yugi and Téa began to blush.

"You…wanted to know…me?" Téa asked, tears still in her eyes

"Well, yes. You saved my life that night and showed me kindness I have never seen before in my life. I owe you so much Téa, and I never wanted to hurt you. I didn't tell you because I was worried of what would happen if someone else found out." Yugi turned away slightly. "I just wanted to get to now you, and I'm sorry if I've hurt you in any way."

Téa said nothing. She was beginning to understand now. Her heart suddenly jolted as she saw how upset Yugi was.

Yugi continued to speak. "But now everything's gone wrong! Pharaoh Akunumkanon is dead and people will expect me to take Atemu's place, believing that _I'm_ him." He clenched his fists as his emotions began to grow again. "I can't do this anymore Téa. I need to find Atemu and bring him back! But I have no idea how to get to him! I just want this to end!"

Téa was touched by Yugi's story. She no longer felt angry at the teen, and was beginning to understand his pain. _'It must have been so hard for him to tell me all this. All this time he's been keeping this secret from everyone. He's kept this all locked up inside of him. Poor Yugi…'_

Quietly, Téa stepped towards Yugi and enveloped him in a soft hug, taking him by surprise.

"Yugi, you've been through so much these last few days, and it must've been hard for you to tell me all this. And I'm glad you did."

"Téa…"

"You haven't hurt me in any way at all. Sure I was a little surprised when you told me that you're not Atemu, but I was just shocked. And I want you to know that I'll be here for you, and I'll help you get through this. I'll help you find Atemu."

"Thank you…"

Téa released Yugi from her hug and looked into his eyes.

"You know, this explains a lot."

Yugi blinked. "It does?"

"Yup. These last few days, I've been feeling all these different emotions. I had no idea why, but, now I do. I felt all these incredible emotions, because of you Yugi."

Yugi didn't say anything. He stared at Téa, absorbed by her beautiful soft blue eyes. _'Does this mean that Téa feels that same way towards me like I do to her?'_

Without saying a word, Téa closed her eyes and began to move closer to Yugi. Without realising what he was doing, Yugi too, closed his eyes and began to move closer to Téa. As if in a dream, the two teen's faces came closer and closer together, their lips soft and inviting. They were only inches away…

BANG!

Yugi and Téa looked up at the sound of the loud band. The door had been thrown open, and a breathless Ishizu stood in the doorway. She looked in distress. Immediately, Téa and Yugi stood up and ran to the young Priestess.

"Ishizu!" cried Yugi. "What's happened?"

"Yugi, I-" Ishizu began, before quickly cutting off. She looked at Téa.

Yugi followed her gaze and knew what she was thinking. "It's alright, I've told her. She knows everything. Now, tell us what's wrong."

Ishizu looked backat Yugi, still in distress. "Yugi, Priest Seto has returned with a small army of followers. He has come to claim the throne and rule over Egypt." She paused before she continued. "He knows who you are…"

"What!" Téa screamed

"But how-"

"He saw your scars the other day and figured out what had happened. Yugi, we must bring Atemu back! He's the only one that can save us now!"

"Yeah, but how do we get to him? He's in the city!" said Téa

Suddenly, male voices and heavy footsteps could be heard from outside in the corridor. One of the voices belonged to Seto himself. Ishizu quickly closed the doors, Téa helping her as she did so, before they turned back to Yugi.

"What are we going to do?" asked Téa as the voices continued to come closer.

Yugi thought for a moment. He needed to get a message to Atemu, but how? He could use a messenger, but that would mean revealing his secret to even more people. The only people he could trust were Téa and Ishizu, and he didn't want to put them in danger…

'_That's it!'_

Quickly, Yugi ran over to a small desk in the room, and pulled out two sheets of parchment and some writing equipment. On the first piece, he quickly sketched a small diagram, and on the second, he quickly wrote something down. _'It's a good thing I'm a quick study, otherwise I wouldn't know what all this means!'_

When he was done, he folded the second parchment up and quickly returned to were Ishizu and Téa stood, away from the door. The voices could he heard outside the door now. Time was running out.

"Téa!" Yugi said quickly, pushing the pieces of parchment into the girl's hand. "Take this message to Atemu. He should be at my house. I've drawn a route to my house so you should get there pretty quickly."

"What? Yugi, I'm not leaving you!" Téa said as the men on the other side of the door began to knock it down.

"Please Téa, you must! Like Ishizu said Atemu is the only one that can help us now! I need you to bring him back!"

"But what about you? I don't want to leave you…"

Yugi smiled and held onto Téa's free hand. "I'll be fine. I just want you to be safe. Please Téa, I need you to do this for me."

"Yugi…"

CRASH!

The three young people in the room jumped back as the door flew open. Yugi stepped in front of Téa and Ishizu, as six men walked into the room, five of them dressed in black. The man at the front dressed in blue and white robes and holding the Millennium Rod, was Priest Seto. He stepped forward and made his way to Yugi. Yugi felt himself tense up.

Without any sign of emotion, Seto grabbed Yugi's arm and dragged him forward. Ishizu and Téa called out, but three guards stepped forward to block their way.

Seto laughed evilly at the sight before him, before in one swift movement, he lifted up Yugi's cloak and revealed to the people behind him the scars on Yugi's back. The servants that had come to see what all the commotion was about, gasped at the sight before them.

This boy was an impostor.

"Arrest them all!" Seto ordered out of the silence, pushing Yugi to the floor.

The guards stepped forward at the sound of their master's orders. But Yugi was prepared, and wouldn't go down without a fight, and not until Téa has escaped. He got up and stood in front of the two girls.

"Téa, get out of here now," Yugi said to the younger of the girls.

"But Yugi-"

"NOW!" Yugi shouted as a guard charged towards them. In one swift movement, Yugi ducked and dug his elbow into the guard's stomach, causing him to fall to the ground in pain.

"You bastard!" called another guard as he charged towards them.

Yugi saw that they had already gotten Ishizu, and it was up to him to get Téa out of here.

As the guard came towards them, Yugi grabbed Téa's hand and ran towards the door, the guard missing them by inches and tripping over his companion on the floor. He hit his head on the floor. The servants stepped back and ran down the corridor as the fight continued and the impostor came towards them.

Once they reach the door, Yugi pushed Téa out into the corridor, before facing the guards again.

"Téa, you must go now! Please! Find Atemu and bring him back! Ill be fine, but I want you to be safe!"

Téa's heart was torn. She wanted to stay with Yugi and help him, but she knew she had to find Atemu. Forcing the new tears in her eyes not to fall, she disappeared down the corridor.

As Yugi heard Téa ran away, he sighed in relief. _'At least she's safe now,' _he thought, before he let two guards restrain him. The fight was over.

Seto grinned as the guards brought Ishizu and the peasant to him. The men on the floor stood up and dusted themselves off, a little embarrassed that they had been beaten by a little runt.

"Sir, what about the girl?" asked one of the guards. "Should we go after her?"

"Leave that little bitch" Seto answered bitterly. "She'll be back. And she'll bring the Prince with her." He looked at his two prisoners before him. "Lock them in the dungeon!"

Yugi cursed Seto as he was dragged away, and Ishizu yelled out for help. As the two were dragged down to the horrible dungeons, Yugi prayed that Téa would be safe.

-I-

Atemu looked up from where he sat in Yugi's doorway, up at the stars above him in the night sky, and felt a single tear roll down his cheek. He had never been one to cry, but tonight he had a reason too.

Not long ago, the famous thief of Egypt, Bakura, had been running through the streets, having just come from the palace, and shouting some very upsetting news to the people of Egypt. As he made his way through the many streets of the city, he had announced to them all of Pharaoh Akunumkanon's death, and that Atemu was to take the throne as soon as possible.

On hearing this news, Atemu had felt his heart break. His father had died, without his son by his side. Atemu couldn't begin to describe the guilt and sadness he felt at that moment. He thought of Yugi, and what he must be going through now. Had he been by Pharaoh Akunumkanon's side? Or had he been somewhere else, and the Pharaoh had died all on his own? There were so many unanswered questions in Atemu's mind.

He continued to stare at the stars and saw a shooting star fly across the sky. A message from the Gods.

"I'm sorry…father…" Atemu said to the night sky, as another tear fell down his cheek.

"Hey Yug'," said a deep baritone voice behind Atemu. "Are you alright?"

Atemu looked behind him at Yugi's friends, Joey and Tristan. After hearing the news of the Pharaoh's death, they had come round to Yugi's house to see if he had heard. They were also helping 'Yugi' take care of Grandpa Moto, for his health was not getting any better.

Atemu looked into the eyes of Yugi's friends. These past few days, they had been so kind to him, and he had repaid them by lying to them.

_'Well not anymore,'_ he thought as he stood up, dusting himself off.

"Actually," Atemu said as he walked inside, "I need to tell you two something."

Joey and Tristan exchanged glances, before letting the tri coloured hair teen continue.

"You see," sighed Atemu, "I'm not really Yugi, but someone that happens to look like him. We swapped lives for a week a few days ago, promising that it was only for a week. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but if someone found out, then who knows what would have happened."

Tristan felt his jaw drop, whereas Joey remained silent.

"So…" said Tristan, choosing his words carefully, "if you're not Yugi, then who are you?"

"Prince Atemu," said Joey before Atemu could answer.

Atemu and Tristan both looked at the blonde in surprise.

"You knew?" asked Atemu

"Of course I did! I'm not dat dumb!" Joey answered, a little offended.

"But…how?"

"I figured it out a while ago. I noticed dat Yugi had been actin' weird for a while, and when I saw dat Yugi and Atemu looked so alike, I kinda figured out den."

Tristan gave Joey an angry glare. "And you didn't tell me because…"

Joey grinned at the brunette. "Because of your small brain and big mouth."

"My big mouth!" Tristan shouted in rage. "Why I-"

"Please guys, calm down," said Atemu taking control of the situation. "Yugi's grandfather is trying to sleep in the other room.

Tristan and Joey immediately stopped and stood to attention.

"We'll be good!" They said in unison. Atemu could only laugh, before his thoughts quickly returned to Yugi and his father. He sighed heavily.

"What's wrong Atemu?" Tristan asked

Atemu looked up at the two teens.

"It's just…now that my father has…moved on, I'll be expected to take the throne. But I can't if I'm still here! I need to get back to the palace, but to do that I need to get in contact with Yugi, which would be impossible at the moment!" He yelled out in frustration. "I feel so useless!"

"Quit talkin' like dat!" said Joey. "You're not useless Atemu!"

"That's right!" Tristan said, backing up his friend. "You'll get through this, and we're gonna help you!"

Atemu's face immediately lit up. "Really? You mean it?"

"Sure!" said Joey, patting Atemu a little too hard on the back. "What are buds for?"

Atemu smiled at his two new friends, touched by their kindness. "Thank you…"

"No sweat!" said Tristan.

"So, what's are first move?" asked Joey, ready for some action

"Well, first we should-"

"ATEMU!"

The three teenage boys looked up at the sound of the high female voice. Atemu quickly recognised the brunette teenage girl standing in the doorway of the Moto's house, her breath heavy from running.

"Téa!" he said running up to his friend. He brought the girl into the house and sat her down on a stool. Tristan and Joey came over to see if they could help.

"Téa," Atemu asked, "what are you doing here? Has something happened?"

Téa, still out of breath, looked up at the Prince, glad to have finally found him.

"…Atemu…danger…Yugi…dungeon…" she tried to speak, but was too out of breath from running from the palace.

"What danger? And what about Yugi? Has something happened to him?" Atemu asked desperately. If anything had happened to Yugi, it would all be his fault.

Téa didn't answer. Instead, she held up the second piece of parchment that Yugi had given her. Atemu looked down at the parchment, then to Téa, then back at the parchment. His hands shaking, he slowly picked up the parchment and unfolded it, reading the messy handwriting. Once he read it, he gasped.

"Oh no…"

"What? What's it say?" asked Joey, looking over Atemu's shoulder at the parchment. "I don't understand of word of it!" Joey felt his anger boil. Something had happened to Yugi, he could feel it.

"That's because this form of text is only used by a few people," said Atemu with a shaky voice.

"Can you tell us what it says?" Tristan asked. He too knew that something had happened to Yugi. He hoped his friend was OK.

Atemu swallowed, before slowly reading the text Yugi had written with his own hand. His voice shook as he spoke…

"Atemu, Priest Seto has discovered out secret. We're both in grave danger. I've been taken captive. Please help."

-I-

To be continued…

-I-

See, now things are starting to get exciting, aren't they? Please R&R, since I'm not sure whether I should continue this story or not. I'll try and get the next chapter up asap!


	9. Prisoners

Hey guys! Sorry it's taken a while to update, but these chapters are really long and I've also just come back from holiday. And I've also just got my exam results back. Sorry you had to wait!

And now, to thank the wonderful reviewers:

**dbzgtfan2004**

**Yami's Wife**

**Aimsly**

**Bishounen Lover**

**Candyshopper**

Thank you all so much!

_'Thoughts'_

"Speaking"

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the "Prince and the Pauper". If I did, would I be writing this!

-I-

The Pharaoh And The Pauper

Chapter 9: Prisoners

-I-

"Wait wait wait!" cried Joey, holding his head. "Explain that again."

Tristan, Téa and Atemu all sighed and slapped their foreheads. It had only been a few minutes since Téa had arrived at the Moto's house, but to Atemu, it felt like an eternity. Every moment they wasted sitting in the Moto's house, the less chance there was of rescuing Yugi and Ishizu. But before they could come up with a plan, Tristan and Joey needed to be told about Priest Seto and what he was planning. Tristan managed to understand straight away. Joey on the other hand was still finding it difficult to absorb what Atemu was saying, even though he had explained it three times already.

"Please don't tell me you _still_ don't understand," Téa said angrily.

"Hey!" Joey shouted, offended at being mocked by a girl. "It's not my fault this is confusing!"

"And it's not my fault you're so dumb," Téa muttered to herself, causing Tristan to giggle.

"I heard that! You…you…little girl!"

"Little girl!" Téa cried in outrage. Joey had hit a sore spot. Before he knew what was happening, Téa grabbed him in a headlock and began to wrestle him. "I'll show you who's a 'little girl!'"

Joey yelled out in pain as Téa continued to wrestle him. Tristan just stood behind them, trying to control his laughter. All the years he had known Joey, no one had ever come close to touching him. And here he was, watching Joey being pummelled by a servant girl. It was quite amusing.

However, Atemu did not find it amusing at all.

"Guys," he said trying to break up the fight. "Guys…Guys!"

Still no one listened to him. Téa continued to keep Joey in a headlock, and Tristan was on the floor in fits of laughter. Atemu's patience was running out.

"ENOUGH!" Atemu shouted. Instantly, the teenagers stopped what they were doing, letting go of each other, and turned their attention back to an emotional Atemu.

"We don't have much time!" Atemu said, his emotions welling up inside of him. "We need to rescue Yugi as soon as we can, and it doesn't help when you all fight each other!"

Téa, Tristan and Joey all bowed their heads in shame. Atemu continued.

"Joey, I am only going to explain this one more time. Priest Seto's family have always hated my own family, and has believed that their blood should be part of the royal bloodline. And it didn't help when Seto's father died mysteriously a few years ago. He believes that my father killed his own, even though I know for a fact that he did not. Ever since then he has planned his revenge…and now, he's succeeding." He looked up at his friends. "The plan is simple. I'll go in there, go to the dungeon and get Yugi and Ishizu out as quick as-"

"You mean you're going alone?" Téa asked, shocked.

"Of course I am! I can't put any of you in danger!"

"But what if you get caught?"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take."

"Are you crazy!" Téa through her hands in the air in frustration. "If you get caught, how are you going to save Yugi? You need someone there to help you, so that's why I'm coming too."

"But Téa-"

"NO! I've made up my mind Atemu and you can't change my decision. Besides, I've worked in the palace all my life and I know where all the secret passages and entrances are. So it's best to have me around."

Atemu looked into Téa's eyes and saw a fire burning inside of them. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Yugi risked his life to save me, and I would do the same for him."

As Atemu continued to look into Téa's eyes, he saw how they lit up at the sound of Yugi's name. It seemed that Téa really cared for young Yugi, and Atemu wasn't going to stop her. Sighing, he nodded his head in agreement. Téa smiled at the soon-to-be Pharaoh and thanked him.

"Wait a minute!" Cried Joey (again). "If she's going with ya, then Tristan and I are comin' too!"

"Definitely not!" Atemu protested. "Unlike you, Téa knows where she is going. You would only get in the way.

"But-"

"No! I'm sorry Joey, and you too Tristan, but I cannot put you in danger." He looked at the door that led to the sleeping quarters of the Moto's house with saddened eyes. "Besides, you need to stay here and look after Yugi's grandfather. His health isn't increasing."

Tristan stepped forward. "You sure you're gonna be OK?"

Atemu nodded at his new friend. "Don't worry, we'll be very careful. Yugi will be back here in no time!"

After a quickly 'goodbye' and 'good luck', Atemu and Téa darted out the Moto's door and rushed down the dusty street towards the palace. Tristan and Joey watched from the Moto's doorway as Atemu and Téa disappeared down the dark alleyway and out of sight. Joey looked up into the night sky as clouds began to gather.

_'Hang in there Yug'. You'll be safe soon.'_

-I-

"Lock them in separate dungeons!" Priest Seto ordered as his guards threw the two prisoners into their cells.

Yugi yelled out in pain as he was roughly thrown to the ground. It was hard and wet, and it didn't help when he landed on his right arm. Hearing the heavy door slamming shut behind him, plunging the stone cell into complete darkness, he pulled himself up from the floor, cringing as his right arm began to ache. Once he was on his feet, he walked over to the small square opening at the top of the wooden door. Even the opening had bars in it; Yugi was still able to see the whole dungeon through the little gaps. He saw Ishizu in the cell opposite, looking through her gap.

He also saw Priest Seto standing right in front of him, mocking him. Yugi's anger began to boil.

"You'll never get away with this!" Yugi spat at the Priest.

"Really?" Priest Seto asked mockingly. "And what makes you so sure, _peasant_?"

Yugi cringed, but he still held his ground. "Because Téa will find Atemu and bring him back to the palace so he can claim the throne. And once he does, you'll pay for what you've done."

Priest Seto only laughed at Yugi's threat. "I look forward to that little 'reunion' with the so-called 'Prince'."

Yugi's anger immediately turned to fear. "What do you mean by that?"

"You really are pathetic!" Seto laughed. "But, seeing as you'll soon be dead, there's no harm in telling you. All my life I've hated the Pharaoh and his son. As I watched them rule over our land everyday, I knew it should be different. We were more powerful and intelligent then they ever were. _My_ family should be part of the royal bloodline, not his! Especially since the former Pharaoh killed my father!"

"Pharaoh Akunumkanon would never do a thing like that!" Priest Ishizu cried behind Priest Seto. "That is a lie! He was a kind and caring Pharaoh-"

"He was not!" Seto shouted back. "He was ruthless and evil! He didn't care about anyone but himself!"

"That's not true…" Yugi whispered to himself.

"The day my father died I knew who killed him! And that was your so-called 'Pharaoh'. And now the time has come for revenge!" Seto turned around and starting heading for the stone steps that led up to the palace. He stopped a few feet away from them. "Yugi, I know very well that Atemu will turn up. In fact, I'm counting on it. Because when he does," Seto turned around to face Yugi, "he won't know what hit him. I'll make him regret ever mocking me."

With a sweep of his cloak, Priest Seto exited the prison and began walking up the steps.

"Make sure they don't escape," he called as he disappeared.

As Yugi watched (and heard) him leave, horrible thoughts started rushing through his head. What was Seto planning to do with Atemu? Whatever it was, it wasn't good. And Yugi knew it was his fault.

_'What have I done?'_

-I-

_'What have I done?'_ Atemu thought as he and Téa hid near the palace's entrance, out of sight from Priest Seto's army. It was his fault all this had happened. It was his fault that Yugi and Ishizu were prisoners. If he hadn't swapped places with Yugi, then none of this would have happened. But now it was up to him to fix it.

It hadn't taken them long to reach the palace, and the sooner they got in the better. They knew where they had to go, they just couldn't get there.

"There are too many guards," Atemu whispered to Téa, whom seemed to be looking around for something. "There's no way we can get in. Seto's army has taken over the whole palace."

"Don't be so doubtful," Téa whispered back. She had found what she'd been looking for. "There is a way for us to get in."

"And where would that be?"

Téa pointed towards one of the walls in the courtyard next the palace. At first, Atemu didn't see anything apart from Seto's guards dressed in black, guarding every entrance to the palace. But when he looked closer, he saw an outline of a door, hidden in the shadows. It seemed that the guards hadn't noticed it yet.

"And how are we suppose to get there?" Atemu asked. The guards seemed to be everywhere.

"We go inside the courtyard and stick to the walls. The shadows should cover us from sight."

"And what about the guards at the front here? How do we get past them?"

Téa picked up something from the floor. A sly smile appeared on her face. "Leave that to me…"

Téa pulled her arm back and threw the object to the right of the guards. It gave a loud 'thump' as it landed on the dusty ground. Upon hearing the thud, the two guards posted at the gate looked up. One of them pointed to where the object had landed and shouted something to his partner. They both ran off to find out what had caused the noise, leaving the entrance clear.

"I could have done that," Atemu said, feeling a little embarrassed that he hadn't thought of a simple plan like that.

"Come on," Téa hissed as she ran forward. Atemu quickly followed her.

Quickly and quietly, the pair ran into the courtyard and turned right, pressing their backs up against the stonewall, ensuring that they were covered by the shadows. Slowly, they sidestepped along the wall, staying incredibly quiet as they past behind the guards. They held their breath as they came closer to the palace and closer to more guards. Their hearts were beating fast in their chests.

Finally, after a few tense moments, they reached the unguarded door. Slowly opening it so that it didn't creak, Téa was first to slip through, Atemu close behind her as he closed the door softly. Once he was sure no one had heard them, he turned around and looked at his surroundings.

"These are the kitchens," Téa informed him, still whispering. She began walking past all the tables and equipment to the door at the other end of the room.

"How do we get to the dungeons from here?" Atemu whispered back, keeping up with the servant girl.

"Once we get out to the corridor, we go left. We then take the first right turn and go straight down. The dungeon entrance is right at the end of that corridor."

The pair reached the door and peeped outside. There weren't any guards outside. This was good news.

_'But where _are_ the guards?' _Atemu thought. _'We're so near the dungeon entrance, shouldn't there be any? This seems far too easy…'_

Double-checking that there weren't any guards, Téa and Atemu quickly darted out of the kitchens and ran left down the corridor. They didn't hear or see any body as they ran, but Atemu felt the sensation of being watched.

They reached a turning and stopped, hiding behind a pillar. Atemu looked round the corner, checking for guards. He heard them before he saw them. He quickly hid back behind the pillar and indicated to Téa to be quiet as the guards came round the corner.

"This is pointless," said one of the guards angrily. "No one's going to be down here."

"Priest Seto said to check everywhere," said a second guard. "So deal with it."

The first guard gave a loud groan as they past the pillar where Téa and Atemu hid. As the guards walked past, the pair shuffled slowly around the pillar so the guards didn't see them. They were almost in the clear…

One of the guards suddenly stopped.

"What's this?" the first guard asked curiously. He bent down and picked something off the ground.

His partner came to his side.

"What have you found?" He asked. Both Téa and Atemu froze with panic behind the pillar.

"It looks like some sort of map," the first guard answered. He studied the map carefully, turning it this way and that.

_'A map?'_ Atemu didn't understand why there would be a map there…unless…

He looked at Téa and instantly knew he was right by the look of terror on her face. The map Yugi had given her must have dropped on the ground.

"Doesn't look like a very good map," the second guard said. "We should report it after we've finished our search in this area of the palace."

His partner gave a mumbled agreement, before they disappeared down the corridor. Once their footsteps had disappeared, Atemu and Téa gave a loud sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry Atemu," Téa apologised, still whispering. "I thought I left that at Yugi's house."

"It's OK Téa, we all make mistakes." Atemu looked around the corner again to make sure there were no more guards. There were none. "Come on, let's go!"

Téa followed the prince down the corridor. As they ran, they kept their eyes and ears open for any guards, but found that there were none. Even though this worked in their favour, they couldn't help but feel that something was wrong.

They quickly reached the entrance to the dungeons and found that there were once again no guards. They quickly ran down the spiralling staircase, their footsteps echoing as they stepped on each stone step, until they reached the dark, murky, dungeons.

"Yugi!" Atemu called in a loud whisper. "Yugi, are you in here?"

Yugi-who was sitting on the floor in his dark cell-lifted his head up from his knees at the sound of his name. It couldn't be, could it? He couldn't be here.

"Yugi!" Téa's voice called with Atemu's.

_'It _is_ them!'_ a voice cried in his head. Jumping up, he ran to the gap in his door.

"Atemu! Téa!" he called to them.

At the sound of their names, Atemu and Téa raced to Yugi's cell. Relief flooded over them at the sight of his face, even if it was behind bars.

"Yugi!" Téa cried, holding onto the bars. "Are you OK? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," Yugi said quickly. "I've only got a few cuts and bruises."

"What about Ishizu?" Atemu asked.

"She's in the cell opposite. She's fine, but you shouldn't be here!"

"Why not?" Atemu asked, outraged. "We came to save you-"

"You need to get out of here!" Yugi interrupted.

"What? But Yugi-"

"Please! You and Téa need to get out of here _now_!"

"Yugi," Téa cried, "I'm not leaving you again!"

"Please, you must! It's a-"

"Trap?" a voice said mockingly behind them.

Atemu and Téa turned around in surprised, and found they were face to face with Priest Seto and four of his guards. Before they could do or say anything, Téa and Atemu were grabbed roughly by two of the guards. Their hands were painfully put behind their back as they were brought forward to the Priest.

"Well well well, isn't this nice?" Priest Seto said mockingly.

"Release me at once!" Atemu ordered. "I order you to let me go!"

"Try all you like Atemu, they won't listen. These are my own guards and only take orders from me."

"Why are you doing this?" Téa cried.

"For revenge," Seto answered simply. He turned to face one of the two guards. "Bring out the impostor."

The guard bowed and stepped towards Yugi's cell. Atemu watched in horror as he unlock the door, stepped inside and roughly brought Yugi out. It was then that Atemu saw Yugi's clothes had been torn from all his struggling, and bloodstains could be seen on his back from where his scars had started bleeding. Yugi tried to resist as he was brought to the Priest.

"Seto, stop this now!" Atemu demanded as he was dragged a few feet back. "Your grudge is against me and my family, not Yugi! Leave him out of this!"

Seto ignored him. He looked down at the injured Yugi.

"Yugi," he said cruelly. "You will do exactly as I say and help me take my rightful place as Pharaoh. Do you understand?"

"Never," Yugi spat. "I'll never help you."

"Hmph." Seto wasn't happy with this answer. He indicated for the guard holding Téa to step forward. He obeyed.

Téa continued to struggle as she was brought forward. When the guard finally stopped, leaving her face to face with Seto, she spat at his face.

"Bastard," she cursed.

Seto cleaned the saliva from his face and said nothing, keeping a stern face. Instead, in one shift movement, he brought out his Millennium Rod and held it in front of Téa. Both she and the item began to glow. She cried out in pain as she felt Seto use his shadow powers on her.

"Téa! No!" Yugi, Atemu and Ishizu (who had appeared at her gap when she heard Atemu's voice) cried as Téa felt herself being consumed by the darkness.

Not taking his eyes off the peasant girl, Seto addressed Yugi. "Yugi, either you do as I say, or your little friend here will die."

Téa tried to fight against the shadows, but it was a losing battle. It took all the strength she had just to lift her head up so she was looking at Yugi. She wanted to yell at him not to obey Seto, that she would be OK. But she could only mutter one word…

"…Yu…gi…" she said in a weak voice. A tear rolled down her cheek. _'Please…don't do it…'_

Yugi stood there, not feeling the pain from his wounds anymore. Instead he felt a pain in his heart as he watched Téa being tortured in front of him. He didn't want to agree to Seto's demands; he didn't want to put the people of Egypt in danger. But, what would happen to Téa? She had been so kind to him whilst he was at the palace. He didn't want to lose her…

Atemu cursed under his breath as he continued to try and escape. Unfortunately, the guard holding him was far too strong. He looked at Téa and saw the pain in her face. He then looked at Yugi and saw the pain in his face too. He immediately knew what Yugi had decided. After all, he would have chosen the same option.

"So what's it going to be, _peasant_," Seto demanded, still not taking his eyes off Téa. "Are you going to be a good boy? Or shall we say goodbye to this pathetic servant girl."

Yugi bowed his head in shame. He spoke quietly. "You win Seto. I'll do what you want."

"Ha! I knew it," Seto laughed. He stopped his Rod's control on Téa and let her fall to the ground.

Téa groaned as she hit the hard floor. She took deep breaths to calm herself down. She looked up at Yugi as the guard grabbed her arms once again, but his face was being hidden by his blonde bangs. '_Yugi…'_

"Lock the girl in Ishizu's room and the impostor in Atemu's room," Seto ordered his guards. "Make sure they don't escape. As for the former prince, lock him in with the former Priest."

"Let me go!" Atemu protested as he was pushed forward to Ishizu's cell.

Ishizu stepped back as the door to her cell opened. She would have made a run for it, if Atemu hadn't been thrown to the floor in front of her. The door slammed shut behind him. The click from the lock echoed through the cell.

Atemu picked himself off the floor and ran to the door. He started banging on the thick wood.

"You won't get away with this Seto!" he promised as he continued to bang on the door.

"I already have," Seto said evil as he made his way out of the dungeon and up the steps. His evil laugh echoed off the stonewalls.

Seto's four guards followed their master, still holding onto their two prisoners. Téa, even though she was weak from the Millennium Rod, tried to struggle free from the guard's tight grip. Yugi, however, had given up and allowed the guard to lead him away.

"Yugi! Téa!" Atemu called out to his friends as they disappeared up the steps. He started to ram the door with his shoulder. "Just hold on! I'll save you both somehow! Just hold on!"

-I-

To be continued…

-I-

Please R&R! Only a few chapters to go now. Next chapter will be up asap. 


	10. A New Pharaoh Part 1

Hey guys! Sorry it's taken me so long to update yet again. You can blame school and my sisters for that since they hogged the computer! But luckily, because my exam results were so good, my parents have decided to get me a laptop, meaning that I can write chapters more quickly! Woohoo!

I would like to take a moment to thank **AnimeFantasy Fan **and** Yami's Wife **for reviewing the last chapter. Thank you so much!

Now, on with this exciting chapter!

__

'Thoughts'

"Speaking"

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the "Prince and the Pauper". If I did, would I be writing this? I think not!

-I-

The Pharaoh And The Pauper

Chapter 10: A New Pharaoh, Part 1

-I-

Sunset, and all seemed quiet in the city of the Pharaoh. The streets were empty of people. Not a soul was seen or heard, for they had all gathered in one place, for an event that was to change their lives forever…

The crowning of a new Pharaoh.

During that day, Pharaoh Akunumkanon's body had been prepared for the afterlife, and a huge parade had been held in the streets, where his body had been on shown for all his subjects to see for one last time. They had all loved their Pharaoh, and were moved to tears as his body was carried before them, on his way to his tomb. Prayers were said to wish him luck in the afterlife, and so he would pass judgement and live in peace with the Gods.

Once the Pharaoh's body had disappeared, the people then made their way to the palace, to witness the crowning of their new Pharaoh. Preparations were made for the grand ceremony, which most people would never witness again. The palace was decorated, and the Priest's prepared for the ritual, just like their ancestors had done before them. Sure, it was strange that he would be crowned in the evening, rather than at first light. But they understood that the Prince needed to be crowned as soon as possible to rule over them as Pharaoh Atemu.

Only, it wasn't Pharaoh Atemu that was going to be crowned that day.

As the last remaining villagers made their way to the palace (they were not permitted inside, so gathered outside a large balcony), the prisoner named Yugi Moto looked out at the crowd from his prison in Prince Atemu's room. He had not witnessed the parade for the former Pharaoh, only managing to catch a glimpse of the body from a distance. He had been trapped within the large room, with no way of escaping. He sighed heavily at these thoughts and moved away from the balcony, turning to face a large mirror placed on the wall. He remembered the last time he set his eyes on this magnificent piece of furniture with Atemu…

__

-Flashback-

"And how do you know that we look so alike?" The cloth Atemu was pulling on was almost completely off now, but Yugi still continued talking. "You don't even have a…" The cloth fell to the floor to reveal a large, brilliantly decorated mirror. Yugi sighed in defeat. "A mirror."

Atemu moved the cloth away with his foot, and then examined the condition of he old the mirror, before indicating for Yugi to come over.

"Come on Yugi. Come and have a look."

Yugi sighed again and made his way over. He stood next to Atemu and looked into the mirror. The sight before himself took his breath away. Once again he felt his jaw drop to the ground.

If someone had entered that room there and then, they wouldn't have believed that Atemu and Yugi weren't related. They looked exactly like twins.

"Well, what do you think?" Atemu asked, eager for an answer. "Don't we look alike?"

Yugi looked closer into the mirror, and as he did so, he noticed a few differences.

"I agree that we do look alike," he began, "but there are a few differences."

"Like what?"

"Well, our hair is slightly different. I mean; you have more blonde streaks in your hair. And our eyes; my eyes are rounder than yours."

Atemu looked closer at the mirror. Sure enough, Yugi was right. There were a few differences, but they were only small. No one would notice them…would they?

"But apart from that," Yugi continued, "we do look a lot like twin brothers."

Atemu looked at Yugi. Could it be that he was persuading Yugi to go along with the plan?

"So, shall we go through with it?"

"…I don't know…"

-End Flashback-

Yugi felt the tears building up inside his eyes again as the painful memory replayed in his mind. He clenched his fists until his nails dug into his skin.

Why? Why had this all happened? It wasn't supposed to end like this! He and Atemu were supposed to take each other's places for only a week, and then switch back before anyone noticed. Why had everything gone so wrong? If only he hadn't agreed! If only he had turned Atemu's offer down, then none of this would have happened. He would be back at home with his grandpa and…

"Grandpa!" he cried out loud. He hadn't seen him in almost a week, and he had no idea how bad his health was. He could be dead for all he knew…no! He couldn't think that. His grandfather was still alive. He could feel him in his heart.

Yugi looked away from the mirror, unable to face looking at himself anymore, dressed in Atemu's clothing, the Millennium Puzzle hanging around his neck. _'Atemu…" _he thought, _"Grandpa…Téa…everyone…I'm sorry this has happened. I'm sorry I've caused you all so much pain. I've let you all down, and there's no excuse for my actions…'_

Yugi was so absorbed by his thoughts, he failed to notice someone knocking at the door. It wasn't until the door creaked open when Yugi realised someone had entered the room. Quickly turning around and hiding his tears, Yugi stood up straight as Priest Seto stepped into the room. Behind him, stood three of his guards. One of them was holding Téa roughly by the arm so she couldn't escape.

Priest Seto smiled cruelly at his prisoner as he saw in his eyes the fear he was trying to hide. His plan was coming together perfectly, and was nothing that could stop him now.

"The time has come," he said strongly and fiercely.

Yugi slowly stepped forward, walking past Priest Seto, and into the corridor. He stole a quick glance at Téa, but just as quickly turned away as soon as she saw the pain in her eyes. He looked down at the floor, feeling a heavy pain in his heart.

Seto, still grinning, stepped out of Atemu's room and starting making his way down the corridor; Yugi, Téa and the guards followed closely behind, as they made their way to the hall, where the new Pharaoh was to be crowned.

-I-

"Let…us…out…NOW!"

The guard on duty could only laugh as Priest Ishizu continued to ram her shoulder into the heavy wooden door, shouting commands at him as she did so. Even though it caused her a lot of pain to do so, Ishizu still continued to hit the door in hopes of escaping.

"You can try all you want," the guard said in a mocking tone. "It will only cause you more pain. I only take orders from _real _Priests, like Priest Seto."

Ishizu growled at the comment, rubbing her sore shoulder. _'When I get out of here, he is going to pay…' _she thought angrily to herself. She looked through the gaps as her Millennium Necklace in the guard's hand.

"Why don't you just give up?" the guard laughed, amusing himself with the sacred item. "The so-called Prince already has."

At the sound of these words, Ishizu looked behind her. She sighed heavily. _'He is still there…'_

Since Priest Seto and his guards had departed the night before, taking Yugi and Téa with them, Atemu had fallen into a state of depression. Suffering from shock and guilt, he had staggered over to a corner in their cell, and fallen to the ground, hugging his knees. Since then, he had been staring out into space, not uttering a single word. On a number of occasions, Ishizu had had to double check that he was alive, since he made no movement what-so-ever. Ishizu's heart sank. It hurt her to see him like this, when he was once so strong.

"Atemu…" she said gently. She had tried getting him to talk before, but nothing had worked. But that didn't mean she was going to give up.

Slowly, she walked over to where the Prince sat, and knelt down behind him.

"Atemu, please," she said urgently. "Say something. Anything."

Atemu remained silent, like he never even heard Ishizu speak.

"Atemu, you mustn't give up," Ishizu continued, though at times she thought she was talking to herself. "What would your father say if he saw you like this?"

"…" Still, Atemu remained silent.

"Prince Atemu," Ishizu said, her patience starting to run out. "Please, you must snap out of this! Téa and Yugi need our help!"

"…Yugi…" Atemu said quietly, his voice croaky from disuse.

Ishizu blinked at the sound of the Prince's voice. "Atemu?"

"Father…Téa…and Yugi…" Atemu continued, talking as is he was in a trance. "They're gone…and it's all my fault…"

"Atemu! No!" Ishizu cried.

Atemu continue on. "It's all my fault…they're gone because of me…If I wasn't here…none of this would have happened…"

"Atemu! Stop this at once!" Ishizu cried.

"If I wasn't around, everyone would be here…safe…If I wasn't here…"

"That's enough!" cried Ishizu. Without knowing what she was doing, she slapped Atemu across the cheek.

Atemu gasped as the Priest's hand painfully collided with his skin. The blast taking him by surprise, he fell forward slightly. He looked up at Ishizu, now deciding to remain silent.

"Don't talk like that!" Ishizu said, the words now falling out of her mouth. "This is not your fault! Your father's death, Yugi and Téa's capture, none of it was your fault! It was Priest Seto! You _do_ belong here. You are the one true Pharaoh…"

"…Ishizu…"

"Atemu, you mustn't give up. Yugi and Téa are counting on us to help them, and rescue Egypt from the darkness that is about to come. _You_ are the only one who can take the crown of the Pharaoh. _You_ are the only one who can defeat Priest Seto. _You_ are the only one who we will listen to. Do you understand, _Pharaoh_ Atemu?"

Atemu looked into Ishizu's blue eyes. He had no idea she felt so strongly. He felt guilty for making her worry. But she was right. He shouldn't give up. He was the true heir to the Egyptian throne. And besides that, he promised Yugi and Téa he would rescue them.

__

'And I always keep a promise to a friend,' Atemu thought to himself with determination.

Standing up slowly (his legs aching from sitting down for so long), he brushed off the sand and dust from his body, and smiled down at the kneeling Priest.

"Ishizu," he said softly. "Thank you. I was wrong to doubt myself like that, and to doubt my friends. I only hope you can forgive me."

"You know I can never stay mad at you Atemu," Ishizu smiled, standing up. She was relieved to see the Prince was OK.

"Will you help me save Yugi and Téa? And help me take my rightful place as Pharaoh?"

"How can I say 'no'?"

Atemu smiled at his friend. "Thank you. Now, let's get out of here!"

"I'd like to see you try!" laughed the guard, who had overheard the entire conversation. "You won't be seeing daylight anytime soon."

"And why is that?" Atemu growled, getting back to being his usual self.

"Because," the guard said mockingly. "You're both about to die."

Ishizu gave a gasp and covered her mouth. Atemu's only reaction was to growl.

"You see," the guard continued, "Priest Seto can't afford to take any chances, so he's decided to get rid of you both once and for all. That's why he hired an executioner…" he looked towards the stairway. "Who should be arriving any…time…"

Suddenly, heavy footsteps could be heard in the distance, coming down the stone steps.

A cruel smile appeared on the guard's lips. "Now…"

-I-

Yugi sighed for the tenth time that day. He couldn't take all this waiting anymore, and he was curious to find out what the sounds from the next room were. From where he was standing, in a darkened room standing next to a red, velvet curtain, they sounded almost like muffled voices.

Swallowing his fear (loudly), Yugi brought his shaking hand forward, and parted the curtains, so there was a small gap in the middle. Slowly, he looked through the small gap. The sight that awaited him made his heart beat quicken.

The room hidden by the red velvet curtain was the main hall, which Yugi has suspected since he had been left in the small room next door. But this was not what made him panic: it was the sight of the large crowd gathered in the hall. They had separated themselves into two large groups, so that there was an aisle down the middle for him to walk down. At the back of the hall, stood most of the Pharaoh's Priests, who were the Keepers of the remaining Millennium Items. They were gathered around a large throne, waiting for the Prince to arrive, so that he may be crowned as the new Pharaoh. A crown sat on a velvet pillow, waiting patiently to be placed on Yugi's head.

Yugi continued to look around the room, expecting to see something else. He soon found what he was looking for, and his heart sank at the sight of it. To the side of the hall, he could clearly see Téa standing with the guard that was stopping her from escaping. The knife held behind her back was barely visible to the people gathered in the hall, but Yugi knew it was there. If he refused to go through with any part of Priest Seto's plan, that knife would be pushed into Téa's back, killing her slowly and painfully.

Yugi immediately pushed these thoughts to the back of his head. He didn't want Téa to be hurt in any way. If anyone was going to be killed that day, it should be him. It was what he deserved for lying to everyone.

Yugi was so wrapped up in his thoughts, he failed to notice Priest Seto approach him from behind. It was only when he felt the Millennium Rod dig painfully into his scars on his back that he realised that he was no longer alone. Quickly closing the curtains, he turned around and looked up at the Priest, trying not to show his fear.

"It is time." Seto showed no emotion as he spoke in his cold voice.

Yugi felt the curtains being drawn back behind him. He quickly turned around and looked at the large number of people in the hall. They all bowed before him as he continued to stare. His legs turned to jelly from the fear of what was to come.

Priest Seto gave a irritated huff before once again pushing the Millennium Rod into Yugi's back, knowing that it would hurt him more because of his scars. Yugi fell forward slightly, before quickly regaining his footing. After taking one last quick glance at Téa, he started to make his way down the aisle. It seemed that there was no way out now…

-I-

"There's no way out now," the guard smirked.

Atemu growled and pushed Ishizu behind him, watching the stairway as two figures appeared out of the shadows. Both were dressed in tunics of black, and both wore masks to hide their faces. But only one of the two men who had entered the prison held a weapon: an axe that gleamed in the dim candle light.

__

'Great,' thought Atemu. _'Now what do we do?'_

"I didn't expect you to be so early," the guard that was guarding the cell spoke, and smile on his face. "You must really enjoy your job."

The executioner didn't answer. Instead, he stepped forward, the second man deciding to stand near the original guard.

Atemu watched with angered eyes as the executioner stepped towards his cell. He growled as the masked man looked through the bars and into his eyes. Through the eye holes Atemu could just make out the executioners brown eyes. The two continued to stare at each other, until the executioner did something that Atemu was not expecting…

He winked.

Taken by surprise, Atemu felt his protective shield begin to break. He watched as the executioner turned around to face the guard.

"Unlock the door," the executioner demanded, pointing to the lock on the door.

Atemu blinked as he heard the familiar voice. He recognised that voice, but where had he heard it before?

The guard wasted no time in following his orders, eager to see the blood spill from Atemu's neck. He quickly grabbed his keys, unlocked the large lock, and opened the heavy door. As the door creaked open, he looked back up at the executioner, waiting for him to go first.

"After you," the executioner said, nodding his head.

Atemu blinked again. That voice was definitely familiar. It sounded like an old friend. It sounded strong and safe. For some reason, he felt himself beginning to relax.

The guard blinked too, surprised at the instructions. Why was the executioner allowing him to enter before him? It seemed a bit strange, but the guard soon shook off the strange feeling of doubt in his mind. He began to step forward into the cell.

"I'm going to enjoy watching you two die," laughed the guard. "I hope it's a slow and _painful_ death."

Atemu and Ishizu took a step backward as the guard came closer and closer towards them. Their heart beats began to quicken as the fear grew in their bodies. This was it. This was the end. They thought the guard was going to grab them one at a time and present them to the executioner to die…

…until the guard suddenly fell to the ground, unconscious.

Atemu and Ishizu looked down at the guard in surprise, then up at where the executioner and his companion now stood behind where the guard had only stood a moment ago. They were dusting their hands, as if completing a job.

"That wasn't too hard," the executioner spoke, his voice happy and bright.

Suddenly something clicked in Atemu's mind, and he instantly recognised the voice.

"Joey?" he asked warily. If he was correct, and these two people were Joey and Tristan, then they had a lot of explaining to do.

The two men dressed in black gave a small laugh, before removing the masks from their faces. Atemu's face lit up as he looked at the friendly faces of both Joey and Tristan.

"Joey! Tristan!" Atemu exclaimed. "What are you doing here!"

"Well," Tristan started, "when you didn't come back this morning, we began to worry. We didn't know what happened to you guys. And when we saw the Pharaoh's body being taken to the tomb, we knew something was wrong. So we decided to come and rescue you."

"But how did you know where we were?"

Joey flexed his knuckles. "It's amazing how much one of these guards say when you 'persuade' him in the right way."

Atemu laughed at the comment, glad to be with his friends again. But a thought occurred to him that stopped the laughter.

"But who is looking after Yugi's grandfather? Did you leave him on his own?"

"Of course not!" Tristan replied, holding up his hands in defence.

"My sister, Serenity, is looking after Mr Moto," Joey said.

Atemu sighed in relief. "That's good…"

"Atemu," Ishizu spoke up. She looked at the two boys in front of them. "I take it you know these people?"

"Yes," Atemu answered. He spotted something gleam in the dim light and walked forward to the table where the guard had been posted as he continued to talk. "These are Yugi's friends: Joey Wheeler and Tristan Taylor." He picked up an object from the table and walked back to Ishizu. "They came to rescue us." He stopped in front of the young woman and held out the object in his hand. Ishizu thanked him as she took back the Millennium Necklace.

"And help save Yugi," Joey added.

"Speaking of which, where is he?" Tristan asked. He looked around the prison, hoping to find his friend.

"Yugi is not here," Ishizu said sadly. She replaced the Millennium Necklace around her neck. ""Priest Seto has already taken him to the ceremony."

"Ceremony!" Tristan and Joey shouted. "What ceremony!"

"He is going to crown Yugi as the new Pharaoh," Atemu said sadly. "And then reveal him to be an impostor, claiming that Yugi killed me to take the throne. When that happens, Yugi will be killed, and Seto will become the new Pharaoh."

"WHAT!" cried Joey. "You mean to tell me that _Seto_ will be the new Pharaoh!"

"If we don't stop him," answered Ishizu calmly, "then yes."

"Then why are we standing around here?" Tristan barked. "We need to come up with a plan to stop him!"

"But what can we do?" Ishizu cried. "If you barge in on the ceremony, you will be killed too!"

Tristan was about to answer back, before he realised that she was right. "You have a point there."

"There is one thing we can do," Atemu spoke calmly. The group all turned to look at him. He continued. "I need to get to the ceremony before Yugi is crowned Pharaoh."

"But isn't that risky?" Joey asked. "Wouldn't Yugi be punished for impersonating you?"

"Not to mention they might not believe you," Tristan added.

"They will, trust me. I know the differences between Yugi and myself. I can prove that I am who I claim to be. And I'll make sure that Yugi is not harmed in any way."

There was a small pause, before Joey spoke up.

"Well, now that we've got a plan, how are we gonna do it?"

"Simple," replied Atemu. "We split into two groups. Ishizu and Tristan, you go first to distract the guards. Ishizu knows the palace like the back of her hand, so make sure you follow her Tristan."

"Will do, Atemu."

"Joey, you're coming with me. I know the way to the hall, but I may need your help getting in there."

"Anything for a friend," Joey smiled.

Atemu smiled back. "Thank you for helping me everyone."

"Give your thanks later," Tristan said, though he was smiling. "We've got a kingdom to save!"

The group nodded, before running up the stone steps away from the prison (and the unconscious guard). Once they reached the top, they checked down the corridor for any sign of the guards. When they corridor was clear. Ishizu and Tristan quickly darted down the right corridor, making as much noise as possible so the guards would hear them and follow them. Joey and Atemu remained hidden, as guards suddenly appeared out of no where and began to chase the noisy pair. Once all was quiet again, they darted out of their hiding place and ran down the left corridor, heading for the hall.

__

'Hold on Yugi,' Atemu prayed. _'Just hold on…'_

-I-

Yugi continued walking down the aisle, the people around him all bowed to the floor as he walked past. Priest Seto was still behind him, making sure that he didn't escape. It wasn't as if Yugi has a choice. If he didn't go through with this plan, he knew that Téa would die.

Through the corner of his eyes he looked at Téa. He felt guilty for getting her involved in all of this. He mouthed 'I'm sorry' to her and felt tears form in his eyes. He watched as Téa smiled and mouthed something back…

'It's not your fault'

This only caused Yugi to feel more pain and look away as he came closer and closer towards the throne. Téa was wrong, this was his fault. If he had been more careful whilst he was in the palace, Seto would have never discovered who he really was, and they wouldn't be in this mess right now.

Yugi reached the end of the aisle and climbed up the few stone steps that led to the throne. The Priests around him bowed and kneeled to the floor as he walked past them and approached the throne. They all stood once he was seated in the holy seat.

Priest Seto came and stood next to the throne, and smirk on his face. His plan was going perfectly. Soon, all this would he his. He indicated for the people below him to rise to their feet, for the ceremony was about to begin. He cleared his throat and began his speech.

"People of Egypt," he began, his voice echoing around the stone hall. "I welcome you to the Palace of the Pharaoh to witness this historic event: The crowning of our new Pharaoh: Atemu…"

Yugi swallowed and looked down at the floor. There was no escaping his fate now.

Priest Seto continued his speech. "I present to the Gods of Egypt the man that will join with them and become their messenger, guiding us through the dark times ahead…"

-I-

Joey and Atemu ran faster and faster down the hall. The adrenaline pumped through Atemu's body. They were almost there, the hall was just up ahead. Soon, Yugi would be safe and Seto would pay for everything that he's done.

"We're nearly there," Atemu said. He could see the doors to the hall in the distance.

"Alright!" Joey cried. "And not a guard in-"

"Hold on!" Atemu cried suddenly, stopping Joey in his tracks. He desperately looked around for somewhere to hide, and then pulled himself and the blonde behind a large stone pillar.

"What's wrong?" Joey asked.

"Shh!" Atemu silenced Joey. He pointed behind the pillar. Both teens looked back towards the hall entrance slowly and very carefully. "I think you spoke too soon about the guards."

Joey looked up ahead and saw that Atemu was right: blocking the main entrance to the hall were four guards. Joey swallowed. They looked a whole lot tougher than the guards that were chasing Tristan and Ishizu right now.

"Now what?" Atemu spoke quietly. "There's no way we can get past them…"

Atemu silenced himself. He could hear a voice coming from the hall.

Joey noticed Atemu's sudden mood change. "You OK?"

Atemu shook his head. "I can hear Seto's voice from the hall," he said, his voice sounding shocked.

Joey strained his ears to hear the voice. Sure enough, a low male voice was echoing down the corridor from the hall.

"People of Egypt, I welcome you to the Palace of the Pharaoh to witness this historic event: The crowning of our new Pharaoh: Atemu. I present to the Gods of Egypt …"

"We're running out of time," Atemu said, panic now clearly visible in his voice. "If we don't act now…Yugi will…"

An idea suddenly popped into Joey's head. It was risky, and stupid, but if it was the only way to save Yugi, then he had to do it. With no warning to Atemu at all, he jumped out from his hiding place and ran forward a few metres.

"Joey!" Atemu cried when he saw what he was doing. "Come back!"

"Hey, you apes!" Joey cried to the guards up ahead, ignoring Atemu's cries. "Bet you can't catch me!"

Atemu heard the guards shout and yell orders, before they started running down the corridor towards them. He heard Joey give a small, amused laugh, before he turned around and ran back down the hall, the guards close at his heels. Their footsteps disappeared down the hall, until Atemu was left alone.

__

'Thank you Joey,' Atemu prayed silently, before darting out of his hiding place and running down the hall, the doors of the hall coming closer into view.

-I-

"And now the time has come!" Priest Seto announced. The crowd below him immediately silenced themselves. The tension in the room suddenly increased.

Yugi swallowed, loudly. The ceremony was about to end, along with the world he had once known. Soon, his life would be over.

Through the corner of his eye, he watched as one of the servants stepped forward, carrying in his hands a large red cushion. Placed on this cushion was a beautiful golden crown, with the symbol of the Millennium Items carved on the front.

Yugi watched as the servant bowed in front of Priest Seto and presented the crown to him. Smiling, Seto placed the Millennium Rod in the belt around his waist, before picking up the crown. Yugi watched with saddened eyes as he carefully brought the crown over to where he sat, holding it in the air above his head. He felt his body begin to shake with fear.

"And now," Priest Seto announced. "With the Mighty Gods of Egypt watching over us…"

__

'Atemu…Téa,' Yugi thought. Memories of his friends flashed through his mind. _'Grandpa…Joey…Tristan…'_

"…And with the people of Egypt gathered in our presence…"

__

'…Everyone I care about. Everyone I love…'

"…I now place this crown…'

__

'…I'm sorry I've caused you this pain. I'm so sorry…' A tear fell down his cheek. He closed his eyes, unable to watch the events that were to follow.

"…on the head of our new Pharaoh." Seto began to lower the crown, coming closer towards Yugi's head. "May he rein us well, Pharaoh At-"

"STOP!" cried a voice.

Chaos suddenly erupted into the room. The people gathered in the hall all turned around to face the source of the voice, and were shocked to see whom was standing in the entrance way, making their way down to aisle. Gasps and shouts were heard as the person walked past them.

"What is the meaning of this!" Seto shouted in an out burst. He looked up at the person whom had interrupted his plan. He let out a gasp when he saw who it was.

__

'Impossible. He should be dead!'

"Guards!" Seto demanded. "Seize him!"

But the guards were all in shock, and could only stand and watch as the person continued to walk towards the throne.

Yugi couldn't bear to open his eyes. He was too scared. He had no idea whether or not the crown had been placed on his head before they had been interrupted, so he had no idea whether or not Seto's plan had been completed. By the sound of his angry and disappointed voice, he guessed that it hadn't, and he was still safe…for the moment…

He sensed someone climbing up the stone steps towards him and stop in front of him, but he was still to afraid to open his eyes, in case it was Seto who was now in front of him.

But then he heard a voice.

"Yugi, open your eyes." It was the same voice that had interrupted the end of the ceremony. It sounded familiar, like Yugi was listening to a lower version of his own voice.

Slowly, Yugi opened his eyes, and found himself looking into the crimson eyes of the last person he expected to see.

"Atemu…"

-I-

To be continued…

-I-

Wow. That took a long time to write. Hoped you like it. Please R&R! Next chapter will be up as soon as I can write it. Damn school…


	11. A New Pharaoh Part 2

OK, I just wanna say two things.

1) I'm sorry it's taken me ages to update, but school has been really hard on me (and it's only going to get worse…)

2) This was originally going to be the final chapter, but I had so many ideas I wanted to include, I decided to split it up into two chapters. I'll start writing the final chapter as soon as I can (which should be soon since I'm on half term now)

Anyway, not that that's over with, I want to thank those who reviewed that last chapter:

**Yami's Wife**

**Yugisweetheart**

**Bishounen Lover**

Thanks you guys!

Now, on with the story…

_'Thoughts'_

"Speaking"

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the "Prince and the Pauper". If I did, would I be writing this? I think not!

-I-

The Pharaoh And The Pauper

Chapter 11: A New Pharaoh, Part 2

-I-

_Yugi couldn__'__t bear to open his eyes. He was too scared. He had no idea whether or not the crown had been placed on his head before they had been interrupted, so he had no idea whether or not Seto__'__s plan had been completed. By the sound of his angry and disappointed voice, he guessed that it hadn__'__t, and he was still safe__…__for the moment__…_

_He sensed someone climbing up the stone steps towards him and stop in front of him, but he was still to afraid to open his eyes, in case it was Seto who was now in front of him. _

_But then he heard a voice._

_"__Yugi, open your eyes.__"__ It was the same voice that had interrupted the end of the ceremony. It sounded familiar, like Yugi was listening to a lower version of his own voice._

_Slowly, Yugi opened his eyes, and found himself looking into the crimson eyes of the last person he expected to see. _

_"__Atemu__…"_

Yugi couldn't believe it. Atemu…he was here…He was really here, standing in front of him! A huge smile broke across his face. Atemu replied with a big smile of his own.

"The one and only," Atemu joked.

"I can't believe it…you're here! You're really here!" Yugi said in an excited whisper.

Atemu gave a small laugh. "I said I'd rescue you, didn't I?"

This time it was Yugi's turn to give a small laugh.

"Yeah, you did." He looked up at his friend. "Thank you, _Pharaoh_ Atemu."

"Speaking of which," Atemu said, looking at the shocked crowd behind him. "We had better let them know what is going on."

Yugi nodded and stood up, next to the true Prince, his expression suddenly turning serious. Atemu gave a reassuring smile to Yugi, before clearing his throat to speak.

"People of Egypt," he spoke in a loud and powerful voice. The other voices in the hall all died down at the sound of his own voice. "Please do not be alarmed. I am Prince Atemu, and I have come to take my rightful place as Pharaoh."

Chaos erupted once again in the large hall. The people were confused. This man claimed to be Prince Atemu, but there was another who looked exactly like him who stood next to him. Who where they to believe was their true Prince: the shy one dressed in royal clothing, or the confident man dressed in peasants robes? By the looks on their faces, the Priests didn't know who to believe either. What were they to do? Who should they believe?

Atemu watched with a worried expression. He should have known they would be confused. He couldn't blame them.

"Please believe me," he tried. "I _am_ Prince Atemu."

"How is that possible?" someone shouted from the crowd.

"Can you prove you are who you say you are?" another shouted.

"We need proof!" shouted a third voice.

Atemu swallowed. Proof? They wanted proof? How was he suppose to give them proof that _he_ was Atemu, and not Yugi? Yugi was the one dressed as a Prince, and had the Millennium Puzzle around his neck. Atemu looked down at his clothes. He was still dressed in his peasants clothes from the other day, when he had worked at the 'building site'. How could he prove that he was right?

"You want proof?" A voice shouted out to the crowd.

Atemu blinked at the sound of the voice at looked to his side. Yugi stepped forward, confidently.

"This man is who he claims to be," Yugi continued, pointing to Atemu. "And I can show you the proof you desire."

In one swift movement, Yugi unhooked the purple cloak around his neck and threw it to the floor. As it fluttered to the ground, he turned around so his back was facing the large crowd. A loud gasp echoed through the stone hall.

"These scars prove that this man," Yugi pointed at Atemu again," is Prince Atemu. I am only a peasant from the outskirts of the city who happens to look like him. These scars are from when I was punished almost a week ago by Priest Seto, when I was working on a building inside the palace grounds." He turned around and faced the crowd. "Atemu saw me being punished and saved me from a cruel fate in the Shadow Realm." He looked over his shoulder at his friend. "He saved my life, and I owe him."

"You don't owe me anything Yugi," Atemu said quietly so only they could hear. He stepped forward. "Agreeing to my favour and helping me experience life as a normal person was more than enough. It was just a shame that it didn't end how we wanted it to."

"That's all very well," one of the Priests spoke, stepping forward. "But that doesn't explain how this _peasant_ ended up living in the palace, impersonating our beloved Prince!"

"I can explain that," Atemu said. "When I saw Yugi and realised how alike we look, I had the ridiculous idea of swapping lives with him, as it were. Ever since I can remember, I've wanted to experience life outside the palace, to see what it is like to live the life of a normal Egyptian. To be free from the everyday troubles of the palace. To know what lives you all live. When Yugi heard of this, he agreed to swap lives with me, but for only a week. We were to keep a low profile, so no one would notice, and switch back discreetly. Unfortunately, my father passed away unexpectedly, and someone discovered our secret…"

"Who?" cried another Priest when Atemu drifted off.

Yugi answered for Atemu. "It was Priest Seto. And when he discovered our secret, he decided to use it to his advantage. He blackmailed me and forced me to agree to his demands, otherwise he would kill Atemu, my friends and my family."

"But why would a Priest like Seto do such a thing?" a voice cried from the crowd.

"Because he believes that he should be the Pharaoh," Atemu spoke up. "His family has always hated my own and believed that they are the true heirs to the throne. They have tried many tricks in the past to get the throne, but have always failed. They almost succeeded tonight, but they didn't count on one important thing…"

Atemu looked to his side at Yugi and smiled. "He didn't count on the strength of friendship."

Yugi smiled back and nodded in agreement. Suddenly conscious of the weight of the Millennium Puzzle around his neck, he gripped the leather strap and pulled it over his head. He stepped towards Atemu and placed the Puzzle around his neck.

"This belongs to you," he said as the Millennium Puzzle fell into place. "The true Prince of Egypt."

Atemu looked down at the sacred item. He held it in his hands, happy to finally have it back. As he fingered the eye shaped symbol of the Millennium Items on the front, he felt the protective presence of his father with him.

"Thank you, Yugi," he smiled. Yugi smiled back.

"How dare Seto do this!" cried a Priest in out rage. "To our own Prince, whom we all love and trust. He must be punished!"

"Punished?" Seto's voice shouted in outrage. All eyes in the hall turned on the Priest, whom was standing just behind the other Priests. "I don't deserve any punishment! I was saving Egypt from the evil inside this so-called Prince!" He pointed angrily at Atemu. Atemu gave the Priest a cold glare.

"And if I am evil," he asked sternly, "what, in the name of Ra, does that make you?"

"I am a saviour!" Seto cried. "This Prince and his ancestors are the evil ones, not me! For generations they have ruled Egypt ruthlessly-"

"That is a lie!" Yugi shouted. "Atemu's family were _not_ ruthless! We all lived happy and peaceful lives under their rule. This dynasty is one of the most peaceful Egypt has ever had! The only time it has been difficult was when Atemu's father became ill, and _you_ were ruling over us instead of Atemu!"

"Silence!" Seto yelled, taking out his Millennium Rod.

But Yugi wouldn't listen to him. "_You__'__re_ the evil one Seto! _You__'__re _the one that will destroy Egypt and-"

"I said SILENCE!" Seto pointed the Millennium Rod at Yugi, the Millennium Symbol on the front beginning to glow.

Yugi took a step back, fearing the worse. Seeing his friend in danger, Atemu stepped forward, blocking Yugi from Seto. The symbol on his Millennium Puzzle began to glow, and the Eye of Ra began to glow on his forehead.

"Ha!" laughed Seto, stopping the power from his item. "Just try and stop me, _Prince_. You can't even use the power of the Millennium Puzzle. Your pathetic father died before he could tell you…"

Atemu growled under his breathe. _'__How _dare_ he speak of my father like that!__'_

"Seto!" cried one of the Priests. "For treachery against the royal family, I here by sentence you to death-"

"You'll have to catch me first," Seto smirked. Holding up his rod once again, he aimed at the other keepers of the Millennium Items. Before they had time to tap into their own power, Seto used the power of his rod and froze them there and then on the spot. They were trapped in a golden glow, unable to move and unable to use their powers.

"Guards!" Seto shouted. "Seize them all! Take over the palace!"

The crowd of civilians screamed as Seto's guards, dressed in black, ran into the room without warning. They ran out of the hall, escaping from any harm. Unfortunately, a few civilians decided to stand up and fight the enemy for their Prince. They were killed instantly.

Yugi and Atemu stood where they were, next to the throne. Their exit had been blocked off quickly, and they were now surrounded by a large circle of guards, each one of them holding some sort of weapon, and each one of them was aimed at Yugi and Atemu.

"Now what do we do?" Yugi asked Atemu desperately.

"Tch…" Atemu took a step back, so that he and Yugi now had their backs pressed against each other. The guards started closing in.

_'__This is bad,__'_ Atemu thought. _'__These guards will kill us both if I don__'__t do something! If only I could use the Millennium Puzzle, and then-__'_

"Atemu! Look out!"

Atemu was so wrapped up in his thoughts, he failed to hear the voice warning him. He was snapped out of his thoughts by someone pushing him to the ground. He quickly lifted his head up and look around to see Yugi standing in front of him, protecting him from something. It was then that Yugi screamed out in pain, and fell to his knees.

"Yugi! No!" Atemu cried.

Atemu rushed to his side as the guard pulled something from Yugi's arm towards him. As Atemu knelt down beside Yugi, he could clearly see a deep wound in Yugi's left arm. It was bleeding freely down his arm, and Atemu had to fight off his sudden nausea caused from the sight of so much blood. He looked up at one of the guards in front of him, the one that had pulled something from Yugi. His eyes soon caught sight of the bloody dagger in the guard's hand. The dagger that had stabbed Yugi, instead of Atemu.

The guard laughed as he wiped the blood carelessly off the dagger. Instincts taking over and blinded by his rage, Atemu rushed to his feet. Swiftly, almost in a blink of an eye, he grabbed the guards wrist, twisted it painfully so his grip loosened. He grabbed the dagger from the guards hand and pushed it into the man's chest. The guard let out a small gasp, before falling to the ground, dead, his blood trickling out onto the floor.

"Holy shit…" Atemu gasped, and looked down at his hands.

Atemu dropped the knife, fearful for what he had done. But hearing Yugi whimper in pain soon got rid of these thoughts. Atemu bent down to Yugi, who now had his right hand covering the wound on his left arm.

"Yugi! Are you all right?" Atemu asked desperately. "Let me take a look at your arm…"

Reluctantly, Yugi removed his hand to reveal the deep wound. Luckily, by the looks of it, the knife had somehow managed to miss hitting an important artery or vain, but that didn't mean Yugi wasn't out of danger. The wound was deep, and if Yugi hadn't had stepped back slightly, the knife would have passed straight through his arm. He needed the medicine man fast, otherwise the wound would become fatal.

Upon moving his arm slightly, Yugi felt a sharp pang of pain shot to his arm, and reacted by covering his wound with his hand again. His face was pale with fear.

"Hold on Yugi, just hold on," Atemu said reassuringly, seeing the fear in Yugi's eyes. "Everything will be all right-"

"That's what you think!" laughed one the guards.

Atemu looked up at the guard who had spoken just in time to see him charging at him. Fearing the worse, he held up his arm in front of his face to protect him from the blow…

-I-

To be continued…

-I-

Aren't I evil?

I hope you liked this chapter. I wasn't planning on having Yugi stabbed, but I suddenly started writing it without thinking and I thought 'hey, this isn't bad'. To be honest, I don't know why I thought it was a good idea. Yugi is my fav character of all time and I would never do anything to hurt him!

Please R&R. I'll post the final chapter as soon as I can.


	12. A New Pharaoh Part 3

Well, here it is. The final chapter. I can't believe it's finishing! NOOO!…

…oh well, maybe I'll do a sequel…

Anyway, let's take a moment to thank the wonderful reviewers, shall we?

**kobear91**

**Yami's Wife-** no! don't let Yugi kill me! I'm sorry! bows

**Yugisweetheart**

Thanks guys! You're the best! You're reviews always cheer me up and give me the motivation to write.

Now, on with the final chapter…

'_Thoughts'_

"Speaking"

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the "Prince and the Pauper". If I did, would I be writing this? I think not!

**Warning:** this chapter contains **YugixTéa** fluff. Don't like it? Then skip it or don't read.

-I-

The Pharaoh And The Pauper

Chapter 12: A New Pharaoh, Part 3

-I- _  
_

"_Hold on Yugi, just hold on," Atemu said reassuringly, seeing the fear in Yugi's eyes. "Everything will be all right-"_

"_That's what you think!" laughed one the guards._

_Atemu looked up at the guard who had spoken just in time to see him charging at him. Fearing the worse, he held up his arm in front of his face to protect him from the blow…_

There was a small 'thud' followed by a groan, then a louder 'thud' than the first. Not feeling any pain what-so-ever and not sensing a blow, Atemu slowly opened his eyes and moved his arm down, only to see a very unexpected sight.

"Joey? Tristan?" Atemu called the names of the two teenagers standing in front of him and Yugi. A few of the guards lay on the floor, unconscious.

"Sorry we're late!" Joey said, moving into his fighting stance.

Yugi looked up at the sound of his best friend's voice. He blinked at the sight of his friends, unable to believe his eyes. Joey and Tristan were standing right there, in front of him. But how did they get there? What are they doing here?

Suddenly, Yugi felt someone remove his hand from his injury. He quickly turned to look at the new person at his side. He was greeted by calm, gentle blue eyes, belonging to a certain Priest.

"Ishizu?" Yugi asked.

"Don't move Yugi," Ishizu said gently but sternly. "I need to wrap this wound before it gets infected."

Ishizu quickly tore a strip of cloth from the end of her dress, and wrapped it around Yugi's wound, stopping the bleeding as best she could. Whilst she was doing this, Joey and Tristan charged at the guards before them, throwing punches and kicks to all parts of their bodies and causing all kinds of injuries. As they continued to fight, Ishizu gently tied the cloth in a knot to stop it from falling.

"There, that should do it. Are you injured anywhere else?"

"No," Yugi answered. "I think I'm OK."

"And what about you Atemu? Are you injured at all?" Ishizu asked the Prince.

"No, I'm fine…" Atemu answered, distracted by Joey and Tristan's fight against Seto's guards. "Yugi pushed me out of the way just in time…" Suddenly, the realisation of Yugi's actions hit his mind like a tone of bricks. He dragged his eyes away from the fight to look at Yugi, a surprised look on his face. "You pushed me out the way…"

"Uh huh," Yugi said, a small smile on his face.

"You risked your life to save me…"

"I wouldn't do anything less for a friend."

"Speaking of friends," spoke a voice, slightly out of breath. Yugi looked up to see a tired Joey looking down at him, Tristan as his side. They both had a few scraps and bruises, but had no major injuries. Behind them, Seto's guards lay either unconscious or dead on the floor. "It's good to finally see you again bud!"

"It's good to see you too Joey," said Yugi happily. "And you too Tristan."

"Long time no see Yugi!" Tristan said happily. Yugi laughed.

"What are you guys doing here anyway?" Yugi asked.

"Well, we heard that you'd been taken captive by Priest Seto," Joey started.

Tristan continued "And Atemu went with the servant girl Téa," Yugi felt a pang in his heart, "to try and rescue you."

"Naturally, we were worried. And when no one came back for almost a day, we decided to go after you and see what was going on..."

"When we got to the palace, we saw the guards and the executioner. We knocked him and one of the guards unconscious and entered the palace, disguised as them. That's when we found Atemu and Ishizu in the dungeon. We set them free, then split up to find you…"

"After I split up from Atemu, I ran through the corridors for a while 'til I bumped into Ishizu and Tristan. Together we managed to get to the hall just in time," Joey finished.

"You can say that again," Yugi laughed lightly. He looked up at his friends, admiration in his eyes. "Thank you…all of you…"

"We wouldn't do anything less for a friend," Joey said, smiling.

"Sorry to interrupt this _touching_ reunion," Seto's sarcastic voice echoed through the hall. The gang looked around desperately for the source of his voice, for he had disappeared from behind the throne. "But I think you're forgetting about something…"

Suddenly, Joey spotted him on the other side of the hall, near the entrance. He pointed him out to the others.

"…namely me." Seto smirked. In his right hand the Millennium Rod radiated a golden light as it's powers were being put to use. With his left arm, Seto held a figure of a person in a headlock. He used the Millennium Rod to make sure they didn't escape.

"TÉA!" Yugi and Atemu yelled upon seeing the figure to be Téa. Her body glowed as the Millennium Rod's power was used to weaken her, stealing her energy and keeping her from escaping. The look on her face showed nothing but pain, and it broke Yugi's heart.

Téa somehow found the strength to open one of her eyes and look up at the people in front of her. Her gaze fell on the one person she cared about the most…

"…Yu…gi…" she muttered. Her energy was disappearing fast.

Yugi heard Téa's words, but only barely, and began to lose control of his emotions. He clenched his fists in rage. It was his fault Téa was in this mess, and it was up to him to save her.

"Téa!" Yugi cried out. He ran down the steps, ignoring the pain in his arm, heading towards where Seto stood.

"Yugi! Wait!" Atemu cried and started to make his way after Yugi.

"Hold it right there!" Seto warned, bringing the Millennium Rod up to Téa's face. Yugi instantly stopped in the middle of the hall, and Atemu stopped on the steps that led down from the throne.

"One more step, and this servant is going straight to the Shadow Realm." Priest Seto brought the Rod right up to Téa's face and dug the tip of the wing shapes at the top into her cheek. One of the sharp tips pierced her skin, and a drop of blood slowly feel down her cheek like a tear drop.

"Seto, you bastard!" Yugi yelled, his anger spinning out of control. "Let her go right now! She's done _nothing_ to you!"

"_I'm_ the one you want, Seto," Atemu shouted, his anger almost as uncontrollable as Yugi's. "Leave my friends out of this."

"Too late for that, Atemu," Seto yelled back. "You're _all_ involved now. Even those two dorks beside the pathetic Priestess."

"HEY!" Joey and Tristan bellowed in outrage. Ishizu merely growled under her breath.

Seto ignored them and continued. "You're all involved in this war now, whether you like it or not! You'll all pay for defending this pathetic excuse for a Prince and his family. I'll make sure you'll pay, starting with this _bitch_ and her 'lover boy' Yugi!"

Yugi growled loudly. "You won't get away with this Seto! I'll kill you for what you've done!"

Joey, Tristan and Atemu looked down at their friend. Not one of them had ever seen him this mad before in their entire lives. It was as if Yugi had a different side to himself, one they'd never seen before. To be honest, it was scary.

'_He's just like me,'_ thought Atemu. _'I'm like that whenever my emotions become out of control. Yugi is just like me, in both looks and personality…'_

Seto reacted merely by laughing evilly. "I'd like to see you try…"

Before Yugi could react, the Millennium Rod's eerie glow suddenly became brighter. The aura and power around Téa increased, and she screamed as the Rod began to take away her energy.

"Don't even think about it Yugi!" Seto shouted, seeing Yugi's foot step forward. "If any of you take another step, Téa dies!"

"Shit…" Yugi cursed under his breath. He was stuck like a rat in a cage, unable to do anything to save Téa.

"Seto! Stop it!" Atemu screamed. The symbol on the Millennium Puzzle began to glow again, and the Eye of Ra was beginning to appear on his forehead. "You're killing her!"

"That's the idea, you fool! And don't think you have a chance of stopping me! You don't even know how to use the power of your Millennium Item. And Ishizu's is too weak compared to mine. I am the only one that knows how to use the true power of the Millennium Items, and I'm going to use it RIGHT NOW!"

"What d'you mean?" Joey demanded.

"I know," Ishizu said in a quiet voice.

Atemu, Joey and Tristan turned to face her. Yugi looked up from where he stood at the others, only just able to hear what they were saying.

"You do!" Tristan asked urgently.

"Unfortunately, yes." The colour was disappearing from Ishizu's face. "He's going to summon his guardian."

"Guardian?" Joey and Tristan asked in unison.

"Oh no, not that!" Atemu gasped in horror. Joey and Tristan turned to face him for an explanation. "He's going to summon the monster that was sent to guard him and the Millennium Rod; his guardian. The monsters that are our guardians cannot last in our world for long since they dwell in the Shadow Realm. But when they are needed the Keepers of the Millennium Items use their Items, along with human energy, to summon the monsters from the Shadow Realm.

"Everyone with a Millennium Item has a guardian of some sort, depending on the power of the Item. Ishizu's monster is the Mystical Elf. I do not know the creature that is destined to protect me and the Millennium Puzzle. I only know that the puzzle is an exception, since it can also control the Gods of Egypt…"

"Atemu!" Yugi called from the middle of the hall. He could just barely hear Atemu's description of the Millennium Item's Guardians. "Is Seto using Téa's energy to summon this creature?"

Atemu looked sadly at Yugi. "Unfortunately, yes…"

"And what creature is he summoning?"

"You fool, he doesn't know!" Laughed Seto. "He has never seen my guardian. The creature that I am summoning is know as the Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Atemu's pupil's shrank in his eyes, his blood ran cold, the colour disappeared from his face. Ishizu felt a chill run down her spine. Yugi, Joey and Tristan could only gasp.

"B-Blue Eyes…White D-Dragon!" Yugi stuttered in fear. Although he was only a peasant, even he had heard about the Blue Eyes White Dragon. It was known as one of the most powerful monsters to have ever existed in the land of Egypt. It was one of the most destructive monsters the world had ever seen.

Téa screamed out again as more of her energy was stolen from her body, being absorbed and stored in Seto's Millennium Rod. The pain she felt now was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. As each second past, she felt herself coming ever closer to death.

Suddenly, without warning, the aura around Téa disappeared, and Seto threw her weak body to the ground. She landed a few metres away from where he stood and rolled on the ground a few metres, until she was now closer to Yugi that she was to Seto. As her limp body lay on the ground, Priest Seto began to chant an ancient spell, the Millennium Rod's light increasing with every word.

"Téa!" Yugi cried, rushing forward to the limp body on the floor. He fell to his knees and placed Téa's head gently on his lap. "Téa! Wake up! Please wake up!"

Giving a small groan, Téa slowly opened her eyes as best she could. She felt weak, her energy drained, but seeing Yugi before her gave her the strength she need to sit up.

"Yugi…" she spoke gently, tears in her eyes. She suddenly embraced him, holding him tight. Yugi was a little taken aback by this sudden action, but he soon relaxed and held her tight.

"It's all right Téa," he soothed. "I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Yugi! Téa!" Atemu's voice called. Yugi and Téa let go of each other slightly and looked up towards the throne. Atemu, Joey, Tristan and Ishizu were starting to make their way down the steps towards them. "Are you two all-"

"Not so fast!" Seto bellowed.

He pointed his Rod in the direction of Atemu and the others. An invisible wave shot out of the Item, sending a shock wave through the hall. Atemu and the others were knocked back a few feet, but managed to regain their footing. Unfortunately, when they tried to get to Yugi and Téa, they found they couldn't. Seto has created an invisible wall to cut them off from each other. No one could get through, no matter how hard they tried.

"Yugi! Téa!" The others shouted in panic. They punched, kicked, rammed, even head butted the invisible wall (leaving Joey with nothing but a sore head). But it was no use. They couldn't break through. The Millennium Rod was too powerful.

"Don't look so angry, my Prince," Seto mocked an angry Atemu. He held his Item above his head. "It'll be your turn to die soon enough."

A small gleam of light shot out of the eye on the Millennium Rod, and a large stone tablet suddenly rose out of the floor behind the Priest. Engraved on this tablet, was an image of the Blue Eyes White Dragon.

"Magic powers here my cry," Seto began. "Unleash the monster trapped inside…"

As Seto said the chant, the image of the Blue Eyes began to glow, and rays of light shot out in varies directions into the hall. Yugi shifted his position on the floor slightly so he was now in front of Téa.

The Millennium Rod's light was almost blinding now, as the energy stolen from Téa was being transferred into the stone tablet where the Blue Eyes was trapped. The carving too began to glow as the energy was received. Atemu and the others could only watch in horror as Seto completed the ceremony.

"Now I summon, the Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Suddenly, the stone tablet burst open, spilling rubble everywhere in the hall. There was an almighty roar, before a large and powerful dragon appeared out of the light and rubble behind Priest Seto. The dragon's scales were white, tinted blue where the light did not reach. It's piercing blue eyes scanned the room as it flapped it's colossal wings to stay hovering in the air. Seto's evil laughter could only just be heard over the dragon's second roar.

Yugi suddenly stood up in front of Téa, knowing what Seto was planning to do next. Téa, still kneeling on the floor, could only look up at him in confusion.

"Yugi!" she cried. "What are you doing?"

"Protecting you," Yugi answered. "What does it look like?"

"Yugi, don't! I don't want you to get hurt because of me-"

"And I don't want you to get hurt either. I care too much about you to let Seto hurt you."

Téa looked up at Yugi with surprise. "Yugi…"

"Yugi!" Joey called to his friend from the other side of the invisible wall.

"Téa!" Ishizu called to the young girl, panic in her voice.

"What are you doing!" Tristan yelled.

"Get out of there!" Atemu cried, his emotions running high. He could feel tears burning in the corner of his eyes. "Please Yugi! Run!"

But not matter how hard they tried to convince them, Yugi and Téa would not move. How could they? They were trapped with no where to go.

'_This is all my fault,'_ Atemu thought sadly. _'Because of me, my only friends will die, and Egypt will be plagued into darkness!'_ He punched the floor in frustration. _'If only I knew how to use the Millennium Puzzle. Then I could save them, and destroy Seto once and for all!'_

"And now," Seto said in an excited whisper. "Blue Eyes White Dragon, prepare to attack…"

Blue Eyes White Dragon slowly opened his mouth. A power electric ball began to form at the back of his mouth.

Yugi felt his body stiffen in fear as he stared into the mouth of the most powerful dragon to have ever existed. But he did not run. He would protect Téa at all costs…even if it meant sacrificing himself…

"Yugi, please!" Téa pleaded. "Don't do this!"

"I have to Téa," Yugi answered back. "I love you too much to let Seto kill you. If I let that happen, I would never forgive myself."

Téa's expression transformed from anxiousness to determination in a blink of an eye. Reaching up, he grabbed hold of Yugi's hand and pulled him down next to her. Not expecting the sudden action, Yugi fell to his knees very easily. Their faces were only inches apart, but both were too preoccupied to notice the other blushing.

"And I would never forgive myself if you died," Téa said, her voice breaking slightly due to her emotions. "I care about you Yugi, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life. If I can't do that in this life, then I'll do it in the next life."

Yugi's eyes widened. "Téa…you…you really mean that?"

Téa nodded. "I love you Yugi, and I want to be with you for an eternity, whether it be in this life or the next one."

Yugi couldn't help but smile. He reached forward and cupped Téa's cheeks in his hand, careful not to touch the place where the Millennium Rod had dug into her skin.

"I love you too Téa, and I feel exactly the same way. If we can't be together here on Earth, then let us be together in the afterlife, for all eternity."

Ignoring the events that were happening around them, Yugi and Téa closed the gap between them, placing their lips gently on top of one another. As they kissed passionately, a few tears of both joy and sadness escaped both their eyes.

"Yugi…Téa…" Atemu could only admire the couple's courage shown before him. Even in the face of danger, they had the courage to admit their true feelings to one another. A spark of hope and determination came to life in his heart. He wanted to protect their love. He wanted to protect his friends, not matter what the cost.

"Now my dragon," Seto ordered. "ATTACK WITH WHITE LIGHTNING!"

Seto's Dragon opened his mouth fully, sending the powerful electric ball in his mouth flying towards the young couple on the floor. Yugi and Téa held onto one another as close as they could, waiting for the Blue Eyes White Dragons attack to hit them. Soon, it would all be over…

As the attack came closer and closer, Atemu punched the invisible wall.

'_This cannot be happening. I won't let it happen. I won't let my friends down…I won't…I won't!…'_

"I WON'T!" Atemu yelled into the air, clenching his fists.

Suddenly, reacting to Atemu's emotions, the Millennium Puzzle burst into life, filling the room with a bright and powerful golden light. The massive amount of energy was strong enough to destroy the Blue Eyes attack. The gold light grew brighter and brighter, blinding everyone in the room. Joey, Tristan and Ishizu yelled out as the light became to bright and shielded their eyes to protect them.

"What's going on!" Seto demanded. He too tried to shield himself from the ever increasing light. His Blue Eyes White Dragon gave a roar, fearful of the power they were now experiencing.

Yugi closed his eyes tight and held onto Téa as they pressed their bodies closer together. He tried his best to protect her eyes as well as his own. He sensed something appear before him, but was too preoccupied with protecting Téa and himself to care at that moment.

'_What…what's going on?'_ The thoughts rushed through his head. _'This power…what is it? I've never seen anything like it…'_

All of a sudden, the light disappeared. Slowly, everyone opened their sore eyes and looked around the hall. What they saw next was something none of them had expected to see…

Yugi let out a loud gasp at the sight that now stood before him. He felt Téa move in his arms and looked down at her. She blinked up at him a few times as her eyes adjusted to the new level of light in the room.

"Yugi, what happened?" she asked.

Yugi merely answer by looking up at something behind Téa's back. Blinking, Téa sat up and looked behind her, gasping at the sight she now saw.

Hovering a few feet in front of them was a human shaped monster that looked almost like a man. He was dressed in deep, rich purple robes, complete with matching headdress. In his hands he held a long staff, with a large green jewel encrusted at the top. His dark eyes stared at nothing but the enemy before him, and his purple hair was just visible under his hat.

"What is that?" Téa asked, a little fearful.

"I don't know…" Yugi answer. Suddenly remembering Atemu's yell, he looked behind him at the others.

"Atemu!" he cried in astonishment when he saw his friend.

The others were all staring at Atemu with wide eyes and surprised expressions. The symbol on the Millennium Puzzle was still glowing, as was the Item itself. The Eye of Ra was once again glowing on Atemu's forehead. Atemu himself was surrounded by the familiar golden glow of the power of the Millennium Items. He was staring at Seto on the other side of the room. His expression was one of hope and determination.

"It's…it's not possible…"Seto said fearfully. His body began to shake.

On the other side of the hall, Joey, Tristan and Ishizu were staring at both Atemu and the new monster in admiration.

"I don't believe it," Ishizu gasped. "Atemu figured out how to use the power of his Millennium Puzzle. He's summoned his guardian monster…The Dark Magician…"

"Dark Magician?" Joey questioned. He looked up at the new monster. "Wow, he looks powerful."

"You think he can beat Seto's dragon?" Tristan asked nervously.

"Let us find out…" Ishizu said mysteriously.

"Seto!" Atemu suddenly yelled. "How _dare _you try and hurt the people I care about. How _dare _you mock my family like a joke! It's about time I show you why my family has the crown and are the true rulers of Egypt. It's time we ended this war between our families once and for all!"

Seto quickly recovered from his shock, and felt the anger coming back to his heart.

"You're absolutely right!" he shouted back. "This attack will be the final battle. The one who wins this will truly be the best."

"Tch…"

"And when I win," Seto sneered, "I'll finally be able to kill you and HAVE MY REVENGE!"

"We'll just see about that!" Atemu yelled. He held his hand up towards his monster. "Dark Magician, show him the true power of the Millennium Puzzle."

The Dark Magician flew forward towards the Blue Eyes White Dragon.

"DARK MAGIC ATTACK!"

"WHITE LIGHTNING ATTACK!"

The two monsters launched their attacks at one another, each one as powerful as the other. The two blasts meet, forming a large ball of power. As the two attacks collided, the hall was once again filled with a blinding and powerful light. Once again everyone in the room covered their eyes to protect them from the intense light.

Seto cursed under his breath as he watched his Blue Eyes White Dragon disappearing in the light. Atemu's Dark Magician was disappearing too.

"This isn't over Atemu!" he shouted into the light. "I will be back, and I will have my revenge!"

And as the Blue Eyes White Dragon disappeared completely, Priest Seto too disappeared from the hall, taking the Millennium Rod with him.

Atemu stood and watched as his Dark Magician also disappeared into the light, going back to the Shadow Realm. The light from the attacks soon vanished, leaving the gang alone in the hall.

The Millennium Puzzle gave out one more burst of light, destroying the invisible wall created by Seto, before it dyed away completely. The Eye of Ra on Atemu's head disappeared, leaving no evidence of it ever being there. Atemu stood there for a moment, staring at nothing, before the consequences of the battle caught up with his body. Using the Millennium Puzzle had used up a lot of the Prince's energy. He feel to his knees, feeling weak but proud.

"Atemu!" Joey, Tristan and Ishizu called, rushing to his side.

Ishizu knelt down next to him and placed a gently hand in his shoulder. "Are you all right?"

Atemu smiled up at them all. "I'm fine. Just a little tired."

"That's a relief," Joey sighed.

"Atemu," Ishizu spoke seriously. "You finally figured out how to use the Millennium Puzzle, and you did it all by yourself. Your father would be very proud."

"Thank you…"

"Hey! Atemu!" Yugi called from the middle of the hall. Atemu looked up at his friend and saw the worry on his face. "Are you OK? Are you hurt?"

Atemu had to laugh at how worried Yugi was. He really did have a big heart. "I'm fine Yugi. I'm just a little tired from using the Millennium Puzzle for the first time, but I'll be fine. Are you and Téa OK?"

"Yes, we're fine," Yugi called back. He smiled proudly up at the Prince. "Thank you for saving us. You're a true friend and a real hero."

Atemu blushed at the comment, but smiled back. "Thank you Yugi…"

"You know Yugi," said an angelic voice. Yugi looked down at Téa. "He's not the only hero around here."

"Oh?" Yugi said curiously.

Téa sat up slightly and slipped her arms around Yugi's neck. "Uh huh." She brought her head up so their faces were only inches apart. Their breath felt warm on each other's faces. "You risked your life to save me. And not only that, you admitted your true feelings for me when everything seemed lost. That took a lot of courage."

"It did?" Yugi asked.

Téa nodded, but let her smile fall. "You…you did mean what you said right? About wanting to be with me forever?"

Yugi simply answered Téa's question my placing his lips gently on top of hers, giving her a gentle but passionate kiss. When they broke apart, he spoke gently.

"Of course I did, Téa. I love you and I want to be with you for eternity, in both this life and the next."

Téa smiled before kissing Yugi again. They broke apart when Joey starting shouting at them.

"C'mon you two love birds! We've got a crowning ceremony to go to!"

-I-

"And now," Priest Ishizu announced. "With the Mighty Gods of Egypt watching over us, and with the people of Egypt gathered in our presence, I now place this crown on the head of our new Pharaoh. May he rein us well, Pharaoh Atemu!"

Ishizu placed the crown on top of Atemu's head, and bowed before him. There was an eruption of shouts and cheers as the people of Egypt looked up at the balcony where Atemu stood, cheering at their new Pharaoh. Atemu tilted the crown slightly with his hands, so that it fitted better on his head, before waving to his people below him. As he waved to them, he felt proud and happy to wear the crown and Millennium Item his father before him had used. He felt his father's presence next to him and tried to hold back his tear of joy. He couldn't stop beaming as the happy crowd cheered at him…

"Phar-aoh! Phar-aoh!" They shouted, smiling and waving.

Atemu laughed happily at their happiness, continuing to wave to them from the balcony. The battle between the Dark Magician and Blue Eyes White Dragon had caused a bit of damage to the main hall, so it had been decided that the crowning ceremony would take place outside on the balcony where everyone could see, even though the sun had already set. The feast would still be held in the hall later on, but they would have to avoid all the holes and dents in the floor.

As Pharaoh Atemu was absorbing the crowd's happiness, his friends stood a little way back, at the back of the balcony, and smiled at him. They all felt proud be Atemu's friend at that moment, as he accepted his destiny of being Pharaoh. They all new he would be one of the greatest Pharaoh's Egypt will ever see. He truly looked like a Pharaoh with the crown placed on his head, his attire now that of a powerful Pharaoh, and the Millennium Puzzle around his neck, almost glowing as if it was reacting to Atemu's happiness.

After the battle between Priest Seto and Atemu, Ishizu had made sure everyone had gotten changed out of their dirty clothes so they looked presentable for the ceremony. Téa had borrowed a clean dress from Ishizu, Joey and Tristan had managed to borrow some clean tunics from some of the male servants. Yugi on the other hand, had been offered some of Atemu's clothes (by Atemu himself) and had gladly accepted them. Although they weren't as rich as the ones Atemu wore now, they were still beautiful, and Yugi was grateful Atemu had given them to him. And this time, he didn't have to wear an itchy cloak around his neck (though he was still a little ashamed of his scars).

As Yugi continued to watch his friend getting used to life as a Pharaoh, he just couldn't bring himself to smile. Oh, he was smiling (sort of), but it wasn't a true smile. He was only smiling to make Atemu happy. The truth was, something was bothering him. Something that had been in his mind throughout the entire adventure…

'_Grandpa…'_

Joey had assured Yugi that his grandfather was OK, and Serenity was currently looking after him, but Yugi still worried. He hadn't seen his grandfather in almost a week. He had no idea if his illness had gone yet, or whether he had gotten worse. He really wanted to go home and see him, but he couldn't leave when Atemu needed him. His heart was torn in two, divided by two loyalties…

Téa sensed in her heart that something was bothering Yugi. The fact that he wasn't telling her hurt her a little bit. Wanting to help him, she placed a gentle hand on he shoulder and looked into his eyes.

"Yugi, are you OK?" she asked gently and quietly, so no one else heard them. "Is something bothering you?"

Yugi looked into Téa's eyes and sighed. He could never hide anything from someone with innocent eyes like hers.

"The truth is Téa," he said sadly, "I'm worried about my grandpa. I haven't seen him in almost a week, and I have no idea whether he's OK or not."

"But your friend with the blonde hair…I think his name was Joey…he said your grandpa's OK, and his little sister's looking after him, right?"

"Yeah, Joey said that. But I still can't shake of this feeling in my heart. He's the only family I've got left, and if he dies now, I don't know what I'll do…"

A few tears formed in the corner of Yugi's eyes. Seeing this, Téa gently brought up her hand and wiped them away with her finger.

"Yugi, you shouldn't think like that," she said gently but firmly. She placed her hand on Yugi's heart. "Your grandpa is still alive, because you can feel him in your heart. I know you said that it's doubt, but it's not. What you're feeling is your love for your grandpa. As long as that is still there, your grandpa is still alive. You just have to have faith."

Yugi looked into Téa's eyes once again, moved by her speech, before turning away.

"I hope you're right…"

Téa tried to comfort Yugi by doing the only thing she could think of; enveloping him in a small hug. As they held onto each other, they didn't realise they were being watched…

Atemu looked at Yugi and saw the pain in his eyes. He knew exactly what Yugi was thinking of…or rather, _who_. After all, he had lived as Yugi for a week. No one (apart from Joey and Tristan) knew him better.

'_Yugi's done so much for me this past week,'_ he thought. _'I must do something to help him.'_

He indicated for Ishizu to come over. Ishizu followed the instruction, bowing before the Pharaoh. She remained in that position as Atemu whispered into her ear…

"Priestess Ishizu, I have a small mission for you…"

-I-

"Yugi, is something bothering you?" Atemu asked, looking down at his friend from his throne.

Now that the ceremony was over, it was time for the grand feast. Everyone had come inside the Great Hall and sat down on the pillows placed out on the ground, and had already begun to eat and drink the food and wine brought to them by the servants. As they ate, music was played on flutes and drums in the background, whilst dancers entertained the crowd. Since Atemu was now the Pharaoh, he had had to sit in his throne at the top of the steps. He had ordered pillows to be brought up to the small platform around the throne so that Yugi, Joey, Tristan and Téa (the other servants were not too happy with this) could join him. After all, he may be Pharaoh, but he still wanted to be with his friends.

Yugi looked up at Atemu and put on a fake smile.

"No! Of course not!" he said with a fake happiness, waving his hands in the air. "Nothing's wrong! Why would you say such a thing?"

Atemu folded his arms across his chest and gave Yugi his infamous I-know-you're-lying-so-cut-the-crap-and-tell-the-truth look, giving a small groan of impatience. Yugi sweat dropped laughed nervously, before stopping and lowering his head. The smile instantly vanished from his face.

He sighed heavily before speaking. "The truth is Pharaoh-"

"Yugi, you can still call me Atemu," Atemu interrupted. "We are still friends, aren't we?"

"Yes! Of course we're friends Atemu! It's just that…well…I'm worried about my grandpa. I…I want to go and see if he's OK…"

"Why don't you go and see him then?" Atemu asked. "You don't have to stay here if you don't want to-"

"No!" Yugi protested. "I _do_ want to be here Atemu, really I do. What kind of friend would I be if I just left?" Yugi sighed heavily again. "I just wish grandpa could be here with me…"

"You know Yugi," a friendly voice said behind him. "You should be careful what you wish for..."

At the sound of the familiar voice, Yugi's eyes widened in surprise. He jumped up and turned around. His heart gave a jump as his eyes meet those exactly like his own, belonging to an old man that looked like an older version of Yugi.

"…It may just come true," Solomon Moto finished off with a smile.

"G-Grandpa…" Yugi said in a shocked whisper. "Y-You're here?"

Solomon laughed at the sight of Yugi's jaw hitting the floor. "Who were you expecting? The Great God Ra? Now pick up your chin off the floor and give your old man a hug!"

Yugi's surprised expression instantly transformed into a huge smile. He rushed forward and gave his grandpa a huge hug, knocking the wind out of him (but only for a moment). The other's watched in joy as Yugi was reunited with his family; Joey and Tristan had streams of tears of joy running down their cheeks (a/n: in typical anime style  TT) and were trying their best to hide it, though they were failing miserably; Téa wiped a few tears of happiness from the corner of her eyes, her heart lifting at the sight of Yugi's happiness; Atemu on the other hand, felt a warm fuzzy feeling inside his heart at the sight of a very happy Yugi.

Soon, the Moto's broke apart. This, Yugi thought, would be the perfect time to introduce everyone. Joey and Tristan greeted Solomon next, glad to see he was back to his normal self. Yugi introduced Téa to his grandfather, blushing as he did so. Solomon greeted Téa kindly and welcomed her to the family, hoping to get to know the young girl better. Atemu (unfortunately) had to stay in his seat, but he and Solomon were reintroduced again, this time in a more formal way than the last time.

"But I don't understand," Yugi said puzzlingly once everyone had greeted his grandfather. "How can you be here? Aren't you suppose to be in bed?"

"Nope!" Solomon answered cheerfully. "I'm fit as a fiddle. I haven't felt this good in years!" And as if to prove a point, he started to do some exercises there and then on the spot. Yugi laughed nervously as he watched his grandfather.

"But, how is that possible?" Téa asked. "Yugi said you were extremely sick. So ill in fact, that you couldn't even get out of bed. From the way he put it, I thought that you were…you know…going to _'pass on'_ into the afterlife."

Solomon stopped 'working out' and raised an eyebrow at Téa's comment.

"What do you mean "how is that possible?"" he asked, a little offended. "I'm too young to die yet! And besides, I didn't just jump out of bed feeling better all of a sudden." He pointed to someone behind him in the shadows. "This young lady came over and cured me! The God's must have sent her, like an angel!"

The gang (minus Solomon and Atemu) looked up to see Ishizu stepping out of the shadows.

"Ishizu," Yugi asked. "Did you do all this?"

"Well, yes and no really," Ishizu answered cheerfully. "I went to your grandfather's house and summoned my guardian, the Mystical Elf, to heal him. But I only did it on Atemu's orders."

The gang all looked at Atemu simultaneously, who could be seen blushing slightly in embarrassment.

"Atemu, you did this?" Yugi asked (once again). "You helped cure my grandpa?"

"Well, of course I did!" Atemu said, a little embarrassed at all the sudden attention. He wasn't used to showing his 'soft' side. "I wouldn't do anything less for a friend, would I?"

Yugi laughed at the familiar comment and smiled. "Thank you…"

"Not at all," said Atemu, smiling too. He suddenly moved in his throne and stood up. "Now, there's only one more thing left to do…"

When the Pharaoh stood up, the music and talking in the hall immediately stopped. Everyone sat down in their seats/pillows, including his friends around him, and waited for the Pharaoh to speak.

"People of Egypt," Atemu said in a loud voice. His words echoed around the hall. "Today we celebrate the beginning of a new life, for both me and you, the loyal citizens of this great country."

There was a small cheer from the crowd before Atemu held up his hands for silence. Once there was, he continued,

"But this would not have been possible, if it weren't for these people seated beside me. We owe them so much, and know they should be rewarded." There was a small curious buzz in the hall before Atemu continued. "Joey Wheeler and Tristan Taylor, please step forward."

Joey and Tristan looked at each other in confusion, blinking, before walking to Atemu. They knelt down in front of him and only looked up on his instruction.

"Joey and Tristan," Atemu began. "Tonight you showed a great deal of courage to the Gods of Egypt, and to myself. You proved your loyalty to your friends and fellow people by risking your lives to save Yugi, as well as myself. And so, to thank you, I would like to appoint you as two of my personal bodyguards. You will be trained and given the finest and most powerful weapons to suit each of your individual skills, as well as a place in my palace for you and your families to live. I hope you will accept."

Joey and Tristan's expressions were like those of children in a candy store. Their faces lit up and they couldn't stop smiling. They immediately accepted Atemu's offer, bowing before him and thanking him, before going back to their seats. Next, it was Téa's turn.

"Téa, your whole life you have been working in the palace as not only a servant, but as one of my closest friends. You have always been there for me when I needed you, and I hope you will continued to be at my side."

"Of course I will," Téa said. "And you don't have to worry about offering a job to me. I'm more than happy with my work. My ancestors did it before me, and I want to continue on with it for them. It is where I belong."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Pharaoh Atemu smiled and agreed. He was not one to force things upon his friends which they did not want. If Téa was happy with the way things were, then he would leave them. Though, he would have to make sure she was treated better and given more time off, but he didn't let her in to that just yet. Téa bowed before the Pharaoh and thanked him, before sitting back next to Yugi. Next, it was Solomon Moto's turn.

"Solomon, when I was living in your home pretending to be Yugi, you helped me. Even though you discovered who I really was, you did not throw me out onto the street. Instead, you took me in and helped me with my task."

"I wouldn't have done anything less," Solomon said solemnly.

Atemu gave a small chuckle. It seemed everyone was familiar with this line. He continued. "Whilst I was living there, I noticed how much you liked games. You told me tales of your youth and how you have never once been beaten in a game. Well, I hold the same reputation. So, I hope you can accept my offer of becoming my challenger at games, for it is now my aim in life to defeat you and become the King of Games."

"I'll take you on Pharaoh!" Solomon said, challenging the Pharaoh. Be bowed before going back to his seat, already planning all the games he'd like to try out. Last but not least, it was Yugi's turn.

Yugi walked up to the Pharaoh and knelt before him, still smiling. Atemu smiled down at him too.

"Yugi, first of all I want to thank you for everything you have done this past week. First, after our first meeting, you agreed to my plan, swapping lives with me and allowing me to take your place in the city. Thanks to you I have fulfilled my dream of living the life of a normal Egyptian, and experienced and adventure I'm sure neither of us will ever forget. And not only that, but you saved my life countless of times! We may have only known each other for a week, but I can see that you are truly a loyal friend with a big heart, who would do anything for anyone. You truly are a hero of Egypt."

"You're the same," Yugi said. "You risked your life to save not only me, but everyone here. You put your own life on the line to save everyone in the country, and you used the Millennium Puzzle without anyone's help, like a true Pharaoh. You have just as big a heart as my own, and I'm proud to be your friend. In my eyes, we're both heroes."

Atemu smiled. "Somehow, I knew you would say that. Yugi, to show how much I appreciate you, your family and friends and your loyalty, I am offering you this: I hope that you will accept the offer of becoming my royal adviser, helping me rule of Egypt and the loyal people you see before you. After all, I cannot rule on my own, and you are exactly like me in so many ways. What better way to show you how much of a friend you are to me by sharing my power with you. Of course, your grandfather and yourself will have your own quarters to live in here in the palace, and you'll have to take good care of Téa whilst you're here." Atemu winked at Yugi.

Yugi blushed at the last comment, before focussing back on what Atemu had said. He couldn't believe it. This was better than everything he could have ever imagined. He had been offered a place in the palace as the Pharaoh's _royal adviser!_ The highest position available next the Pharaoh. And not only that, Joey, Tristan, his grandfather and Téa would also be with him. They would all be together, just as they should be.

Before he made his decision, he looked around at his friends. Joey and Tristan were sitting next to each other (as usual), smiling encouragingly at their friend. They gave a big thumbs up at him, causing Yugi to give small smile.

Yugi then looked left at his grandfather, and let out another small laugh. His grandpa was already deep in though about the different games he wanted to challenge Atemu to, and was already plotting strategies.

Next he looked right at Téa. He felt his face heat up at the sight of her. She looked beautiful in the torch light, the soft fabric gently falling on her skin. Her eyes sparkled in the light, full of joy and happiness. The look on her face was peaceful and blissful. Yugi couldn't believe how lucky he was to have her, and if he accepted Atemu's offer, he could be with her for the rest of his life.

Finally, Yugi looked up at Pharaoh Atemu. So much had happened to both of them in the last few days, it was overwhelming. But somehow, they had over come it all, becoming good friends in the process. No, that wasn't true. After all the events that have happened this past week, they could easily say that they were more than friends: they were like brothers. And a bond as strong as that could never be broken.

Making up his mind, Yugi took a deep breath before answering…

"For you Atemu, how could I say 'no'?"

The crowd immediately broke out in a cheer, jumping in the air, screaming screams of joy. The group around Atemu also jumped up, running towards Yugi. They all gave him hugs, ruffled his hair teasingly, and punching his arm in a friendly way to show their happiness. Téa even came up and kissed him, causing both of them to blush.

Atemu picked up his golden goblet, and held the other hand in the air to silence to crowd, Immediately, an excited silence fell over the room.

"To friendship," Atemu announced, holding up the goblet into the air, "and a new life!"

"To friendship and a new life!"

And so, everyone celebrate long and late into the night, for their lives were all about to change, and for the best. Nothing could ruin the happiness they felt now, surrounded by those they cared for the most. As the sun rose the next morning, everyone looked forward to the start of a new rein, new friendships, and a whole new life.

-I-

The End

-I-

That's it! It's finished! It's been almost a year since I started writing this (taken me a while, hasn't it?), and it's all over now. How sad! TT

I want to say a HUGE thank you to EVERYONE that reviewed. These include (in no order):

**dbtzgtfan2004, Bishounen Lover, Mika Sorano, kristen89, sugarpony, TwinSanity, Green Phantom Queen, Yami's Wife, kobear91, Samantha, Aimsly, candyshopper, AnimeFantasy Fan, Yugisweetheart**

Thank you all so much! All your reviews really made my day and I couldn't't have finished this story without to guys. This final chapter was dedicated to you all and I hoped you all like it. Please R&R so I know what you guys thought of this final chapter.

Well, that's it from me. If you want to read any more Yugi/Téa stories I have a bunch of them up so go check them out. If not, I have other stories. So if you're ever bored, please have a look and let me know what you think of my work.

Bye guys! Hope to see you again soon!


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